Lily and James: The Last Shot
by Fae Thatcher
Summary: In their final year at Hogwarts, Lily Evans and James Potter find themselves faced with decisions that will ultimately effect the rest of their lives. I know, another Lily/James story, but if you can't beat them, join them.
1. Coming On Stronger

**Coming On Stronger**

"Lily, c'mon!"

Lily's head snapped up to see her best friend, Samantha Tchaikovsky waving at her urgently from her position by the Hogwarts Express.

"Hold on!" Lily shouted back, giving her mother and father one final hug.

"Be careful, sweetie," said Mrs. Evans, kissing her daughter's forehead, though the older woman had to stand up slightly to do so; Lily was nearly three inches taller than her mother, who stood at an average five foot four.

"And congratulations," Mr. Evans offered, "again."

"Thank you, Dad," Lily laughed. It was for the umpteenth time that her parents had complimented her on becoming Head Girl of Hogwarts.

"Lily!" Samantha screeched, hanging from the doorway of the train, one arm wrapped about a slim pole, the other waving frantically.

"Coming!" Lily yelled back, laughing to herself as her friend shook her head of long brown hair in disappointment.

"You be careful, too, Samantha!" called Mrs. Evans, looking at her daughter's best friend sternly, "I will write your mother!" she warned.

"Yes ma'am!" said Samantha, looking amused. Lily knew that her mother had become Sam's surrogate mother over the six years that Lily had been friends with her. Samantha's own parents had seen her off earlier that morning, before they had to take her younger four siblings to their Muggle primary school.

"Let's go," Samantha said as Lily met her at the doorway. They each grabbed a handle of Lily's trunk and hauled it onto the train, "How much did you pack, exactly, Lily Dearest?" Sam asked as she hoisted the trunk into the air.

Lily blushed as she thought of all of her textbooks, not to mention her own, personal books, her clothes, and, well, everything, "A lot," she admitted, grabbing the corner of the trunk before it knocked into one of the narrow walls on their way to their compartment. They had been sitting in the same one for six--now seven years. At first it had been difficult to secure the same one, but now that they were in the upper classes, Lily found it was much easier to boss people around.

"Need any help with that, Evans?" came a voice behind her. Lily turned about to see the face of none other than James Potter. Leave it to him to ruin what had up to then been a pleasant day.

"Go away, Potter," said Lily, turning to ignore him.

"You and Chop-Suey got it under control then?" said Sirius Black, Potter's best friend, looking over at Sam.

"It's Tchaikovsky, you prat," said Sam wearily, setting down the trunk. Lily dropped her end too. Sam and Sirius had been at their throats nearly as long as she and Potter had. Both boys leaned lazily against the wall. One of Sirius' favorite antics was to make fun of Sam's second-generation Russian last name.

"So Evans, how was your summer?" asked Potter, surveying her through his glasses. His black hair was unmanageable as ever, going in every direction. He certainly had filled out over the summer though, she couldn't help noticicing, as he now stood a good five inches over her, his body now larger, more muscular. Even his voice was deeper, and he had a small amount of dark scruff on his jaw. His hazel eyes remained unchanged though, as did his cocky smile.

"C'mon, Potter, we haven't even started the term," Sam begged, "Leave her be,"

"Good to see you too, Tchaikovsky," commented Potter, smiling at her. Sam rolled her eyes, but smiled back. Lily couldn't help feeling as if she was slightly fraternizing with the enemy. But just as Lily had never hated Sirius, Sam had never despised Potter.

"Let's go," Lily muttered, picking up the trunk again. Sam nodded as they turned their backs to the boys.

"Seriously, Evans, let us help," Potter said, looking put out. He brandished his wand, waved it, and the trunk levitated into the air. Lily sighed in defeat, "Lead the way," he ordered.

"Where's _your _trunk, Chop Suey?" asked Sirius of Sam.

"I already got it in our compartment," sniffed Sam, looking down her nose at him, which was quite a feat, seeing as Sam, standing taller than Lily at five eight, was still a head shorter than Sirius, "I wouldn't want your help, besides. Those scrawny arms of yours could barely manage."

Lily stifled a giggle, as she looked sideways at her friend. Sirius Black was perhaps the best-looking boy at Hogwarts, with longer black hair, grey eyes, a straight nose and jaw, and anything- but- scrawny arms. In fact, it looked to Lily as if his arms were straining more against his white shirt than ever. Sam knew this, of course, but she also knew that Sirius was quite vain. Sam smiled as she caught Lily's eye.

"Tut tut," said Sirius, looking just as arrogant as before, "You've developed quite the tongue over the summer."

Sam stuck her tongue out at him.

"Ah, there we are," he said, smiling.

"And here we are," said Lily.

They had finally reached their customary compartment, and Lily opened the door. Potter levitated the trunk, rather neatly, she had to admit, onto the rack next to Sam's.

"Don't worry, Evans, I don't expect tips," he told her with a smirk, "but I'm always grateful for them," he added pointedly, closing his eyes and puckering his lips towards her.

"Shove off, Potter," said Lily as she closed the door firmly in his face.

"You know where to find us!" James called through the door. Indeed, he, Sirius, and their other "Marauder" friends, Remus and Peter, had taken the compartment directly across from theirs.

"If possible, Lils, I think he likes you more this year," said Sam, looking at her seriously as she took the seat across from Lily. Lily blew a stray piece of red hair out of her eyes and looked at her friend.

Sam was the only brunette in her family--the rest had the classic Russian blonde locks--with large, soft brown eyes , dark eyebrows, a rather classic Russian nose and full, pink lips. Her features were strong, but she was pretty, and when she smiled-- which was quite often-- she was beautiful.

"It's the last year, Sam," she sighed, "of course he's going to come on strong."

"Do you think, maybe..." Sam trailed off, surveying Lily with her deep chocolate eyes. Lily shook her head, having heard Sam's argument through the entire summer in the letters that they exchanged, "Lils, I mean, honestly...you two would be so cute!"

"Sam, he's cocky, he's annoying, he's, he's," she had been looking for a word to describe the plague of James Potter perfectly for six years. She had finally decided that one had not been invented, "He's Potter," she said finally.

"Still..." Sam said, pulling her knees up to her chest, "As you said, it is the last year..." she trailed off, looking at Lily hopefully. Though Sam had excellent marks in her classes, it was clear that she was off her rocker, just a bit. Lily would never, ever, look twice at James Potter. Sam sighed.

"So, how was your summer?" asked Lily.

"Hah," Sam laughed harshly, "I babysat my siblings at least four times a week. My mum has been working through some college credits to get her degree, and my dad was gone for weeks at a time," Sam's family were Muggles, much like Lily's, and her mother, Tatiana Tchaikovsky, was a college professor, while her father, Sergei Tchaikovsky, was an airline pilot. Both worked hard to support their large family, and Sam, while she understood their predicament, often commented on the ease of Lily's lifestyle as the younger of two sisters in a well-off family.

"Anything..." Lily carefully tried to pick an apropos phrase, "fun?"

"What, like babysitting four crazy kids isn't fun?" she said sarcastically, "Actually, I did get my wand out a few times. It kept them in check,"

Lily shook her head in dismay. Sam was also the oldest of five children, and, thus far, the only one with any magical capability.

"No, but I did take a few classes," said Sam, now looking brighter, "I took a Russian one, and a few art courses." Sam enjoyed getting closer to her Russian heritage, and had been eagerly picking up the language at Muggle classes. She also was a fabulous artist, who often spent her time with pencil sketches, "What about you?"

"Well..." Lily tried to remember the highlights of her summer, "We went to France," she said, mentioning her parents' summer home in south Paris, "and it was nice."

"Any French boys?" asked Sam looking entertained by Lily's disgusted face.

"Ew."

"Just kidding. Please, continue,"

"No, that was about it," Lily said. It was quiet between them for a few minutes, as they both stared, lost in their own thoughts. It was not an uncomfortable silence--it never had been-- it was peaceful.

"We should change," said Sam finally, checking her wrist-watch. She rose and slid her trunk down from the rack, placing it carefully on the floor. She did the same with Lily's. Both girls sorted through their belongings until each had a set of Hogwarts robes. Instead of going into the crowded, and often trashy, girls changing room, each turned an opposite direction and changed in the compartment. Lily had just begun to take off her shirt when the compartment door slid open.

"Interrupting something?" said Sirius Black. He stood in the doorway with James and now Remus Lupin, a sandy-haired boy with celery-green eyes. Lily dropped her shirt immediately, so that she was still fully clothed. She saw something of a look of disappointment cross James' face, and she glared at him.

"Couldn't you be a faster changer, Evans?" asked James, "Like Tchaikovsky, there, she knows how to get it done."

"You perverts!" shouted Lily, turning to see her best friend. Sam already had her black skirt on, but on top she had her white blouse, which had not been buttoned so that it revealed her pink lace bra.

"Pink. That's cute," said Sirius.

"Bloody hell, Black!" Sam yelled, turning her wand on Sirius, who was staring at her, grinning. Lupin had the decency to look away, but not before grabbing his two best friends around their necks, pulling them back out into the hall.

"Sorry," he said, looking mortified, closing the door.

"Sweet Jesus," Sam cursed, slipping one button through its hole, "I am going to murder someone."

"Not Remus," said Lily, fairly.

"No, not Remus," agreed Sam, "What were they doing?" she demanded. Lily looked over her shoulder to see Sam blushing profusely.

"Do we ever know?" asked Lily, slipping her own shirt and skirt on, though rather cautiously. She pulled on her knee socks. Sam remained standing, in just her skirt and half-buttoned shirt, wand aloft. She kept muttering small phrases to no one in particular, and Lily caught small snippets such as "gits" "reported" "killed in their sleep" and finally, she thought she heard something about "peeping Toms."

"Alright, I'm going in," Sam said, opening the door, looking out into the hall, "You got my back?" she asked.

"Sam," Lily warned. Her friend often overreacted to the Marauders' antics. This time, though, Lily admitted, she had fair reason.

"What?" Sam said distractedly, checking to make sure that the hall was clear.

"Don't you want to finish buttoning your shirt?" asked Lily fairly.

"Oh, sure," said Sam, "Heaven forbid they _see _anything." she put on a look of mock mortification, but she did button her shirt up further. Lily slipped her grey and red sweater over her head as Sam stepped out into the hallway. She put an ear on the door, then, after a moment of stillness, she flung the compartment dor open.

"Black!" she yelled, a woman with a vendetta, before throwing herself into the compartment. Lily sighed, leaning against the frame of thier own compartment, surveying the scene as Sam exchanged hexes with Sirius.

"Calm down!" Sirius said alarmedly, fending her off with a small shield charm. Sam didn't give up easily, and continued to fire curses at him. They bounced off the shield and hit the walls, leaving small scorches, "Prongs?" he said finally, looking to Potter for help. He sighed before grabbing Sam around the waist and pulling her backwards so that she landed on top of him. Watching, Lily had a strange thought in her head, as if she actually wanted to be in Sam's place. She shook her head firmly, and the image of her wrapped in Potter's arms disappeared. He finally succeeded in securing her arms behind her back.

"Moony, the wand?" Potter nodded to Lupin. Remus plucked Sam's wand from her hand, "Evans?" James said, spotting Lily in the doorway, "Can you control your friend?" Lily shook her head.

"Sorry, Potter, but I think she's bent on revenge."

"Just--what--the--_hell_--are--you--about?" Sam huffed, trying to pry herself from James. Sirius, feeling it was safe, lowered his shield.

"Prongs wanted to see Evans," he said, "Again," he added, and Lily saw Potter glower at him,"I honestly didn't know you two changed in your compartment. Although," he said, brightening suddenly, "that's pretty hot."

Sam loosened one arm from James' hold and swung her fist as Sirius.

"Have you not heard of knocking?" she demanded, but she seemed to be relaxing.

"Yes," said Sirius carefully, "I just don't feel like doing it."

"You're a git, you know that?" she asked him, wrenching herself from Potter's arms. But she did not attempt to hit Sirius. However, Lily knew, when Sam did not react physically, she had a habit of swearing more often.

"Whatever you say, Chai Tea."

"It's Tchaikovsky!" Sam yelled, "Is that too bloody difficult for you, you bloody Devil Spawn?"

"Pixie," said Sirius, standing so that he stood above her.

"Arse,"

"Satan's Misstress," said Sirius smirking.

"There's no bloody way I would ever sleep with you!"

"Nice one," said Potter, and Peter and Remus nodded appreciatively.

"Aw, come on _Tchaikovsky,_" said Sirus, "Who couldn't resist this?"

"It's not too bloody hard, let me tell you," she said, as she reached out and pushed him as hard as she could, and Sirius, caught off guard, fell back, smacking his head off of the luggage rack above him.

"Ow!" he said, clearly annoyed.

"Thank you," said Sam smartly, snatching her wand back from Remus, then stalking out of the compartment and back into their own. Lily looked back at Potter.

"What is it that you wanted, anyway, Potter," she asked, suspicously.

"Just wanted to ask if you were going to be attending any of our Quidditch matches this year. I don't know if you're aware, but not only am I the Seeker, but I am also captain."

"Yes, I'm aware," said Lily, looking as though nothing could mean less to her, "And yes, I'll probably be coming to a few,"

"Really?" he asked, looking ecstatic, and Lily couldn't help smiling a bit, "That's great, Evans."

Any further conversation was interrupted by a small, first year boy with hair so blonde, it was fairly white, "Miss Evans?" he clarified.

"Yes?" she answered carefully. He smiled enormously and handed her a letter before turning an scurrying down the length of the hall. She held the letter out so that she read her name, clearly printed across the back.

"I'll see you later," she muttered, turning back to their compartment.

"Bye Evans!" Potter shouted before she closed the door. She sat across from Sam, who was sketching rather violently on her small pad of paper. She gingerly slid her finger under the seal, breaking it, and unrolling the parchment.

_Ms. Evans;_

_Please find your way to compartment number 1D at twelve o'clock this afternoon to discuss a few details with me, and the Head Boy._

_Wishing you well,_

_Minerva McGonagall_


	2. Head Boy

_Hmm...I can't figure out where else to put the "Disclaimers" so they'll be here._

_I don't happen to own Lily Evans, James Potter, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, Peter Pettigrew, Minerva McGonagall, Albus Dumbledore, Hogwarts itself, etc. etc. Anything you recognise doesn't belong to me. So...I DO own Samantha Tchaikovsky, however._

**Head Boy**

Lily gathered herself at five till twelve and made to exit the compartment.

"Do I look alright?" she asked Sam. She looked up from her sketch.

"Lily, you always look beautiful," said Sam, "How many times do I have to say that?"

"Thanks..." Lily trailed off, "I just don't know who's going to be Head Boy," she continued nervously. She grabbed her set of flowing black robes from her seat and slipped them on. Sam handed her the gleaming Head Girl badge--the small golden pin with the entwined letters "HG" and, of course, the gryffindor crest. Lily pinned it to her lapel and flipped her hair out from under the collar.

"It doesn't matter Lils," said Sam, "They all love you," she added promptly, smiling at her.

"Ha ha," said Lily, "Maybe it's Remus," she suggested thoughtfully.

"Maybe," said Sam, "How about you just go down and see?"

"Be back in a bit!" announced Lily, smiling happily as she opened the compartment door and slipped into the hall. The entire length of the train was realtively quiet, and all she heard was the movement of the train and the muffled sounds of conversations. She finally stopped outisde of compartment 1D. She knocked timidly on the door.

"Come in!" said a voice.

Lily took a steadying breath and opened the compartment. Professor McGonagall was seated at the far side of the room, behind a small wooden desk. Stationed in front were two stuffed chairs. One was empty, and one was occupied with a figure. A figure with unruly black hair.

"Hey Evans," said James Potter, smiling broadly at her as she turned in his chair to stare at her.

* * *

Sam leaned her back up against the wall of her compartment. She propped her legs up on the seat and rested her sketching pad on her knees. Sketching was one of the few things that she found relaxing--what with school, work, and her prespective future looming before her, not to mention the bloody _Marauders_ popping up all over the place.

She had just closed her eyes in final peace, when there was a knock at the door.

"It's open," she paused, "I think," she added, opening her eyes. To her eternal shock, Sirius Black stepped inside the compartment. It was almost instantly filled with the smell of that strong cologne that Sirius had insisted upon wearing every day since their fifth year. She nearly choked.

"Er...hi!" he started brightly. Sam stared at him for a few seconds, then looked back down at her paper, continuing sketching, "Moony, suggested that I come over and, er, apologise?" He continued hesitantly, scratching the back of his neck.

"Can you do nothing on your own?" she asked, nastily, finally speaking.

"You know what, Tchaikovsky?"

"What, Black?" she spit his name. He suddenly looked very taken aback, and she felt rather bad, seeing as it had taken at least a small bit of effort to apologise, "Thanks," she said quickly, recognising his look of apprehension as a negative one. With her words, his face softened immediately.

"Well, then, you're welcome." he mumbled, putting his hands in his pockets. She was about to go back to her work when he stopped at the door, "You know, this may be the last year we see each other," he said pointedly, a smile smile starting on his face.

"Unless I start work at the same second-rate hovel that you'll be graduating to, I would agree with you."

Sirius smiled, "You know, all these years, I never asked you--"

He was interrupted by the arrival of Lily, who was looking murderous.

"Move aside, Black," she commanded, moving him bodily so that she could enter the compartment.

"And what vexes thee so?" asked Sam, calmly, stealing a glance at Sirius.

"Potter!" she nearly shouted.

"Well, I know that, but--"

"No!" Lily looked at her with her emerald glass eyes, "Potter! He's...he is" she lowered her voice, "Head Boy," she finished in a whisper that said, quite clearly, the world had come to a quick and painful end.

"Oh, dear." said Sam, immediately understanding the extent of damage that his would do. Lily had wanted to be Head Girl since their first year. Now that she finally had attained her dream, leave it to James to bring her down. Sam herself didn't mind James at all. He made her laugh all the time and, in her opinion, he was the perfect match for Lily. And for that, she needed him around.

"Dumbledore made his sorry, arrogant arse HEAD BOY!" Lily shouted, near panic.

"Okay. Now, relax, Lils, you'll get through this," she assured her, handing her a tissue. To both Sam and Sirius's horror, Lily began tearing it into small shreds, "I'm afraid she might really be gone this time," said Sam sadly, moving to stand next to Sirius.

"It would appear that way," Sirius nodded, "Anyway, I had better be getting back," he moved across the hall just as the train began screeching to a stop, "See you, Chop Suey," His evil grin resurfaced once again before he disappeared across the hall. Sam sighed, wondering what exactly it was that he had never asked her all these years--then she chided herself for caring.

"Lily, come on," she sat next to her best friend, wrapping an arm around her slight shoulders. She took Lily's mass of red hair and moved it gently so that it fell over her shoulders. It was quiet.

"You're right," she said suddenly, standing with a certain resolve, "He can't ruin this!"

"Atta girl, Lily!" cheered Sam standing with her, "Who's Head Girl?" she asked, as if giving her champion boxer a prep talk. Lily rolled her eyes, "That's right, you are!" continued Sam, unphased.

"Alright, alright," Lily said, linking arms with Sam as they moved into the crowded corridor.

It was a short walk from the train station to the spot where the horseless carriages were stationed. Sam and Lily picked one out that was still empty, but soon they were joined by Alice Jones, Joanna Devon, and Mina Kellar, all three of whom shared a dormitory with them. The girls chatted amiably of their summers, beus, and after-school plans until they reached the front stairs of the castle.

Alice, who wanted to be an Auror, had spent her summer with her boyfriend of a year, Frank Longbottom. Joanna and Mina had spent their summers together in London. Neither had ever had a serious boyfriend at Hogwarts, much preferring to bounce from boy to boy, "sampling" the Hogwarts population. Sam was fairly certain that between them, the entirety of the seventh- year boys had been "sampled."

"How about you, Lily, Sam?" asked Mina, her short blonde hair bobbing up and down as she nearly bounced up and down in excitement, "Any lucky boys this go around?"

It was true that niether Sam, nor Lily had had a boyfriend through their Hogwarts careers. Both had been asked numerous times (Lily mostly by James, and Sam by no one in particular), but had never decided to begin a relationship.

"Nope," said Sam ,shaking her head, "Maybe I shall find someone," she took a deep breath then said, dramatically, "_Abroad!"_

"Yes, Sam has always liked her men _exotic."_ continued Lily, catching Sam's tone.

Mina and Joanna tittered. Sam rolled her eyes.

"And you Lily?" asked Alice, looking at her.

"None for me," announced Lily, "I've enough to worry about."

"Oh yes, you're Head Girl this year," said Joanna, "but, isn't Potter head boy? And _don't you two not get along?" _she whispered in a hushed tone, as though it were a secret that she was planning to take to the grave.

"I'm sure we'll manage," said Lily pleasantly, and Sam was surprised to hear hardly any traceable sarcasm in her tone.

They had made it to the castle, and now piled out of the carriage to the front steps. Lily grabbed Sam's arm as she was about to be swept away by the mob of students.

"Thank you," said Sam, falling into step with Lily.

"What was Sirius Black doing in our compartment?" asked Lily finally, with a sidelong glance at Sam as they took their place in the Great Hall.

"We'll talk later," Sam said in a conversational tone as the Marauders took a seat rather near her.

"Oh yes," Lily said, "We shall."

The Hall became silent as Professor Dumbledore took the podium.

"Another year!" he boomed, "And though I have many reminders to you all, I seem to have forgotten them. Enjoy!" he announced to cheers. Sam clapped as he sat back down. She wasn't sure how old Dumbledore was, but she was certain that he would never forget anything. She laughed as she watched Lily pile her plate with her favorite Shepherd's Pie. Sam took a slice as well.

"I have to meet Dumbledore after this," said Lily finally, "to discuss..." she motioned at her badge.

"Ah," said Sam wisely, "Indeed."

* * *

Lily pushed back her chair as the feast ended.

"I'll see you in the Common Room!" she managed to yell to Sam. Sam nodded before being herded away with the rest of the students.

"Ready Evans?" said a voice in her ear. She turned to find James with his face rather close to her own.

"Yes," she said, taking a step forward towards the teacher's table, where Dumbledore was waiting for them.

"Ah, my Head Boy and Girl," he said, looking at them happily, "How were your summers?"

"Well, sir."

"Very nice, thank you."

"Good. Well, I know you both have sleep to be off to, but I wanted to remind you of a few responsibilities as the Heads," he said, "It will be your privilege to plan the Christmas ball that we will be hosting this year," he announced, "The other students will be notified of it in due course, but as the Heads, you must begin planning it. Also, you will meet with the prefects every month to ensure that eveything is going well."

Lily looked at James, who caught her eye and smiled. She refused to return the gesture.

"Yes, sir," she said simply.

"And you will make rounds," he said.

"Rounds, sir?" asked James, looking alarmed at the prospect of more responsibility, and Lily had the feeling that he had never had so much to do his entire life.

"Yes, each teacher makes them, one night a week, and on the seventh night, the Heads take that duty," Dumbledore explained, "Every Thursday, you two will patrol the corridors looking for any trouble. May I say, Mr. Potter, that you will be exceptionally inept at this, seeing as you have had much experience on the other side?"

James smirked and nodded.

"Very good. Well then, good night to you both."

Lily turned on her heel and headed for the door. James caught up with her easily. Though she was not really running away from him, she still felt rather annoyed.

"So, once a week, we have a date," he said, looking at her.

"No, Potter, we have _rounds_," she clarified.

"Call it what you will, Evans," he said.

"I'll call it what it is."

"Will you go out with me, Evans?" he asked. Lily was used to these impromptu declarations of affection by now, and had the answer down so that it was automatic.

"No, Potter."

"You sure?" he asked, just as he had every time he asked her.

"Yes, Potter."

"Yes you'll go out with me?"

"No, Potter."

"You're confusing," he said, "But you're gorgeous!"

They now stood in front of the the Fat Lady.

"Password?" she asked in the same simpering voice that she always used.

"Dungbomb," James smirked as the portrait swung forward, "After you, Evans," he said, bowing gallantly as she climbed through first. The common room was void of all but upper-class students, the small ones having gone to bed immediately. Lily caught sight of Sam, reading over her schedule.

"Here, Lils," she said, brandishing a second piece of parchment, "I grabbed yours too!"

"Thanks," said Lily, having forgotten. She grabbed the piece of paper and sat next to Sam. Other than those two, the four Marauders sat around, reading their own schedules.

"Off, Potions, DADA, lunch, transfiguration, charms," read Sirius loudly, throwing some Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans into his mouth, "What about you, Prongs?"

"Same!" James laughed, "Moony?"

"Muggles Studies first, then the same," Remus replied, "Wormtail?"

"Same!"

It could be expected, Lily sighed inwardly. Those four had been scheming their classes together for years.

"How about you, Evans, Tchaikovsky? Jesus, I really need to come up with a nickname for you," James reminded himself aloud. Sam's last name, was admittedly long, but it wasn't unbearable. He snatched Lily's schedule from her hands and held it up to his.

"Hah Evans!" he exclaimed, looking extremely pleased. So much in fact, that Lily had a hard time not returning the smile on his face, or being extremely worried.

"What?"

"We've all the same except for you have--" he peered closer at the page, "You're taking _Muggle Studies?"_ he read incredulously.

"Easy O," said Sam, "I took it, too. First period, right?" she asked Lily, who nodded. Ever since their first year, they, too, had been planning their schedules to match.

"Smart, Chai," said Sirius, tipping the carton of candy into his mouth. He grabbed one that had fallen and threw it at Sam. It slipped down the front of her shirt.

"Gross!" she screamed, reaching down her shirt front and pulling it out.

"Aw, Chai, I was going to get it for you." Sirius said, and even Remus laughed.

"My name isn't Chai," said Sam. Lily didn't see the point in them arguing anymore. Many times it had been established that Sam found Sirius to be a git, a prat, an arse, the Devil himself, and many more, Sirius had showed his creative side, finding numerous nicknames for Sam.

Sirius crossed his legs in a somewhat meditative stance, "Chai....chai....chai..." he hummed.

"Shut up," said Sam, throwing a cushion at him. It hit his face, "I'm going to bed," she added.

"I'll come," said Lily, moving to take her schedule from James. He held it high above her head.

"In exchange..." he dangled it above her.

"_Accio,"___called Sam from the top of the staircase. The schedule detatched itself from James' grasp and zoomed towards her. She caught it neatly.

"You know, Chai Tea, you should try out for Chaser this year," said Sirius, watching her.

"You should go die. In a hole," Sam offered.

"G'night to you too!" Sirius said, and Lily laughed as she followed Sam to the dormitory.

"See you in Potions tomorrow!" James called behind her. She decided against replying.

"So..." Lily turned to see Sam's silhouette changing for bed, "We going to talk?"

"Of course," said Sam, climbing onto her bed. Lily changed into her pajamas quickly, then followed. They pulled the hangings round.

"So...Sirius? In our compartment?"

"He came to apologise," said Sam.

"That was...nice."

"He just threw candy down my shirt."

"Ah, well, that's his way of flirting," said Lily, knowledgeably.

"Lily, I would never look twice at Sirius Black," Sam hissed, "You're ridiculous."

Even in the moonlight, Lily swore her friend was blushing.


	3. What Happens in Potions

_Still don't own any characters that you recognise--except Samantha Tchaikovsky, you might start recognising her now. Um, yeah!_

_Um, if anyone knows how to access my reviews, that would be cool to let me know!I would love to read them, but can't figure out how to. Sorry, I'm new. (sheepish expression)_

**What Happens In Potions**

After a predictably easy Muggle Studies class, Sam and Lily made their way to the dungeons for double Potions: not only with the Marauders, but with the Slytherins.

"I hate them" said Sam as they passed the tall, blonde Narcissa Black, talking in hushed tones with her rumored beau, and equally blonde, Lucius Malfoy.

"Me too," said Lily. However, Professor Slughorn was one of her favorite professors. Lily and Sam were also two of his favorite students, as both had been invited into his "exclusive" society, the Slug Club, which he held every month for his favorite pupils.

The entire class was standing against one wall when they entered, and the duo joined them all, awaiting their fate as Slughorn assigned them seats. There were partners, two per cauldron, and you would work with that partner for the entire term.

They were quiet as they all took their seats, some looking happy, some looking embarrassed, some looking downright livid as they were paired at random with their best friends, their crushes, their worst enemies.

Finally Lily heard her name. "Evans!" Slughorn pointed at the chair in front of him. Lily took the seat, placing her bag at her feet. _Tchaikovsky, Tchaikovsky, Tchaikovsy,_ she repeated, silently begging him.

"Black. Sirius," Slughorn clarified as both Narcissa and Sirius moved to sit next to Lily.

Bloody Hell.

Sirius sat easily in the chair next to her.

"Morning Evans," he said, looking at her. She rolled her eyes, looking at Sam in a way that clearly asked for help. Sam laughed silently.

"Chai-koovst-skie, I see you still haven't changed your name into something more manageable," said Slughorn as he butchered Sam's name for the seventh year in a row. Sam laughed and took the seat behind Lily.

"Awesome!" she hi-fived her.

"Potter,"

"Awesome!" Sirius said, hi-fiving James as he, too, sat behind them. Remus and Peter were assigned to the table behind, in a strange stroke of good luck.

Finally, they were all seated.

"Ah, NEWT level potions," said Slughorn happily, settling heavily into the green velvet throne that he had placed near the front of the class by his chalk board, "Any of you still remaining in this class have a very serious reason to be doing so. That said, I expect high-level work from each and every one of you!" he chortled. "Today, we will start with a sort of pretest, as each of you partner-groups will be creating Amortentia. It is a review," he said, raising his voice as the excited murmurings began, "but a test nonetheless. A final announcement, the first Slug Club meeting will take place September 30th. Those of you selected will receive your invitations in the morning mail over the next few days. You may begin,"

Lily opened her Potions book immediately to review the page. She set it between her and Sirius as she set to chopping the required ingredients.

"Well, Evans," said Sirius, obviously looking for something to say, "your breasts are noticeably larger,"

"Padfoot!" James, who had obviously been listening in, whacked his friend on the back of the head, "What the hell, man?"

"Just some pleasant banter," he shrugged, "It was a compliment," he hissed, rubbing the spot where James' book had hit him.

"Ten points from Gryffindor, for sexual harrassment," said James immediately.

"Harrassment?" asked Sirius, looking shocked, "I'm not a _felon_ for Christ's sake!"

Lily looked from James to Sirius and back to James. Her immediate reaction was that this was a set up to make James look like a hero. However, she had a sneaking suspicion that it was not. That meant two things: one, Sirius Black was a very strange boy and two, James Potter had just stood up for her against his own best friend.

"You are so _weird_," said Sam, looking at Sirius strangely.

* * *

"So, Tchaikovsky, any input on a desired nickname?" asked James as he slid the first ingredients off of his chopping board and into the cauldron.

"None in particular," said Sam, adding a few drops of honey.

"Well obviously you need one," he continued.

"Obviously," Sam repeated, not really hearing him.

"I've already had some wonderful suggestions," Sirius said, "I believe you both are familiar with them."

Sam flicked a dried caterpillar at him.

"How about 'Nutcracker'?"

Sam was surprised to hear Lily's voice. When she turned, her friend's face was flushed. She was obviously surprised to.

"Why?" asked James, looking interested.

"Yes, Lily, why?" said Sam, who had a horrible feeling that she knew exactly why Lily had suggested this.

"Well, the Muggle composer Tchaikovsky wrote the music for the ballet "The Nutcracker," Lily stated.

"More evidence than that, Lily," suggested Remus, "Prongs doesn't make nicknames on a whim."

"Well, there was that one time," Lily said thoughtfully, "In Paris,"

Sam winced, remembering the summer before, that Sam had spent at the Evans' vacation spot in Paris.

"And why is that fitting?" asked Sirius, now looking thoroughly entertained.

"Forget it," said Sam, looking at Lily, but she couldn't catch her eye.

"Now, how then Tchaikovsky, it's this or Chop Suey," said James, "Besides, this sounds interesting. Please continue, Evans."

"Well, we were on holiday in Paris, at my parents' vacation house," Lily started, "And there was this French boy, um Jaques, I think, right Sam?"

Sam nodded slowly, hating the mere memory.

"And he liked Sam quite a lot and was talking to her in French and everything, and he had us to eat lunch at this little cafe," she started giggling, and Sam placed her face in her hands, "So we sat down," Lily choked between giggles, "and _Jaques_ sat next to Sam. But he-he- tried to run his hand up her leg and--" Lily was in a full fit of laughter, "she stood up and started yelling at him in--in _Russian--_and then he was all confused and tried to--to kiss her and she just kicked him--in the crotch!"

She finally finished before collapsing into a chuckle fit. The others were silent, and then, they all started laughing uncontrollably.

"Well spotted Evans," said James, taking his glasses off to wipe away tears of laughter, "Nutcracker it is,"

Sam put her head on his desk.

"He was ugly, besides," she muttered to the floor, and they all laughed the harder.

"Poor Jaques," squeaked Peter.

"Poor Jaques?" said Remus, "Poor Sam," and Sam looked at him gratefully. He was laughing though, so it hardly helped.

"Oh ho, yes!" exclaimed Sirius, "Poor Nutcracker," he paused and looked at her, "Why Russian, though, Nutcracker? How do _you_ know _Russian_?"

"Do you think Tchaikovsky's _English_ for God's sake?" said Sam very annoyed.

The rest of the class passed in small laughing bouts that started whenever it was quiet too long.

"I just keep seeing it," said James.

"Me-me too!" Lily squealed.

Sam winced, but at least the story seemed to have brought them together. Slughorn finally called stop.

"Now, I see some wonderful examples," he said, peering thoughtfully at them all, "but I have a rather interesting exercise to finish the class with, and for that we will be using my own _prime_ sample to do it."

Sam watched in horror as he approached their table. Instead of handing the bottle to James, Slughorn gave it to her.

"Tchaikovsky, Evans, you two had the best samples, so you and your partners will be demonstrating the interesting effects of Amortentia."

Sam took the bottle and stared at it, "Professor, I'm not going to--to drink it?"

"No!" chuckled Slughorn, "That, my dear is illegal, but you will be smelling it."

Sam removed the topper and put her nose to the top. She sniffed it carefully.

"You see, class, Amortentia--"

"Smells differently to each person," finished Lily, eagerly.

"It changes according to what attracts them," added Remus. Sam hardly heard them. Her head was instantly clouded by a mix of scents.

"Would you mind telling us what you smell, Ms. Tchaikovsky?"

"I--" Sam smelled again and tried to differentiate scents, "I smell rain, and smoke, and leather and--" she tried to classify the last one, but when she did, she didn't want to say it.

"And?" Slughorn prompted.

"Cologne," she muttered, "the last is cologne."

"See?" Slughorn said as Sam passed the bottle to James, "The first few smells are smells of our childhood that we have come to associate with something positive. The final is quite often what the person to whom we are attracted smells like."

The class sniggered.

"But doesn't every boy wear cologne?" spoke Mina from the back of the room.

"Whore," Sam heard Narcissa Black mutter, but decidedly ignored her. She had been calling Sam this since they were thirteen. It hardly had an effect.

"Well, I'm sure if Miss Tchaikovsky were to expand her answer, she would be able to tell us exactly whose cologne she smells," Slughorn said, "But that's a job for Veriteserum," he added heartily, and Sam felt fairly relieved.

"Mr. Potter?"

"There's a new broom handle and broom polish and," he too smelled it again, "and oranges with flowers and vanilla," he said decidedly. It was Sam's turn to laugh, as she knew that Lily used citrus and floral shampoo, and perfume that smelled of vanilla. Lily, knowing this too, turned red.

"Mr. Black?" Slughorn asked of Sirius as James hande the small vial to him.

"Let's see," said Sirius easily, "there are dungbombs, just kidding there, Professor, there's bacon,"

"Surprise, surprise," said James in Sam's ear, and she giggled.

"And charcoal and coffee and pencil lead," he smelled it once more, "yeah, pencil wood and lead,"

"Interesting combination," said Slughorn jovially.

"Miss Evans?"

"Well, there are books, and there are," she blushed, "lillies,"

Sam smiled, "Of course."

"And something like," she smelled the potion again, "I don't know, blue mint chewing gum I guess."


	4. Rounds

_Still don't own any characters that you recognise--except Samantha Tchaikovsky, you might start recognising her now. Yupper!_

_Um, if anyone knows how to access my reviews, that would be cool to let me know!I would love to read them, but can't figure out how to. Sorry, I'm new. (sheepish expression)_

**Rounds of Dates**

Lily was in a particularly sour mood after her last class of Thursday. She stomped to her sear across from Sam at dinner that evening and sat down heavily.

It was quiet between them as Sam picked through her dinner. Lily stared at her.

"Aren't you going to ask what's wrong?" asked Lily finally, feeling rather disappointed that she had to prompt her.

"You're going to tell me either way," said Sam, looking at her, "but what's wrong?"

"I have rounds," Lily hissed at her.

"You know, Lily," said Sam, blowing on a piece of steak that was still steaming, "I think you make yourself get upset because you know that if you let yourself think about it too long you'll notice."

"Notice what?"

"You like James."

"Sam, shut up."

"He likes you," she continued, now eating the steak.

"You know I don't like him," argued Lily, who had really just wanted to complain about James--not have "the talk" again.

"I never told you Lily, but remember with the Amortentia?" Sam started, and Lily nodded, "I had a theory. I bet James chews blue mint gum!" she said, excitedly.

Lily, who had been expecting something far more important than this, looked nonplussed.

"Sam, there are hundreds of people who chew the same gum."

"No, Lily, don't you see? It was his! I know it was," said Sam so earnestly that Lily felt some part of her own brain beginning to agree with Sam.

"That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard."

"Hah. He doesn't think so. He heard you say that, you know? And now, he's pretty sure that you like him back." Sam added. Lily paused to consider this as she spooned some mashed potatoes onto her plate. Sam's statement had some truth to it; James had been flirting with her a lot more, and there was something different about him. As if he almost had _hope_ while he was talking to her.

"Never mind," said Lily, wanting to change the subject, "At seven, whether I like it or not, I will be spending rounds with Potter."

"Well, you have an hour," said Sam as they both stood to exit dinner. Walking on either side of the table, they met at the door and exited into the corridors.

"So how about you?" asked Lily finally as they mounted another staircase, "Ever going to tell me whose cologne that was? Or don't you know?"

"Yes, I do know," said Sam, "But no, I'm not going to tell you until you admit to me that that was James Potter's gum that you smelled!" she announced, "Dungbombs," she added to the Fat Lady, who swung forward.

"That's hardly fair," huffed Lily, collapsing in one of the couches by the fire. Sam looked at her with stubborn resolve, "Never mind. I have to finish my Charms paper," Lily added, pulling out a long parchment and her quill. She began scribbling on it immdediately, "Don't you have yours to do?" she added, looking at Sam.

"Already finished," said the other girl, pulling out a magazine and beginning to leaf through it. Lily squinted at the cover and read the title aloud.

"Chasers: A Guide for Even the Most Experienced Player?" she raised her eyebrows, "What are you doing with that?"

"Nothing," murmured Sam, turning red as she flipped a page.

"Samantha Marie Tchaikovsky, you are not actually thinking of trying out for the Quidditch team?" Lily accused, looking at her seriously.

"Lily Elisabeth Evans, it doesn't matter, does it?"

"Well, first off, it would mean that you are actually starting to take the advice of--gasp!--Sirius Black!" Lily clutched her heart in mock horror.

"I am not listening to him," argued Sam, "I just, thought that he might have had a remotely good suggestion," she sighed, "Besides, I always wanted to play on the team..." she trailed off as the portrait hole opened and students piled through. Lily spotted the Marauders as James waved at her. She rolled her eyes and turned her attentions back to Sam.

"But in your seventh year?"

"Hey! Anything is possible," said Sam, putting on the face of a super hero, "There's no harm in trying out..." she broke off suddenly, her eyes roving to something--someone--standing behind Lily. All four Marauders were crowded around the couch.

"What are you trying out for, Nutcracker?" asked Potter, looking at her quizzically.

"Nothing," said Sam, moving the magazine artfully between the seat cushions, "But I may have to talk to you later," she added to James.

"Whatever you say, Nutcracker," said Potter, who had been overusing Sam's new nickname as a newfound method of annoyance, "Hey Evans, you ready for our soiree tonight?" he put on a French accent.

"You mean rounds," corrected Lily flatly, "And no, I haven't forgotten about them."

"I knew you could never forget me," said James, swinging himself over the couch so that, to Lily's immense horror, he was seated right next to her. Sam chuckled in her seat, and Lily glowered at her before returning her gaze to James.

"Go away, Potter, I'm working."

"My dear Evans," Potter excused himself before rising and crossing the room to Sam. She stood, too, and pulled him into a corner of the common room, where she talked with him in a whisper. Lily saw James' face go from confused to grinning, and she wondered what they were speaking of. Finally, they both nodded.

"What was that about?" said both Lily and Sirius as Samantha and James came back to the small circle.

"Nothing,"

"I'll tell you later," said James to Sirius. Lily saw Sam throw Potter a look, "Just kidding, Nutcracker. I won't tell, I promise."

Lily rolled up her parchment and tucked it back in her bag.

"I suppose I'm ready then," she said, standing and facing Potter.

"Excellent," he said, offering his arm. She sighed, rolled her eyes, and, ignoring him, stalked off to the Portrait Hole.

* * *

James followed Lily out through the Portrait Hole. He couldn't help his eyes from traveling down to look at her ass. It was _fine. _Actually, there was nothing about Lily Evans that _wasn't _fine, James thought to himself, smugly.

Typically, he would have voiced this opinion to her, but, seeing as that had got him nowhere the past six years, he determined it was time to start a new tactic. The main chracteristic of a Marauder was to adapt, he reminded himself as he caught up to her.

"Wanna go out with me Evans?" What the heck. Old habits die hard.

"No, Potter," she said. Her stubborness used to annoy him beyond words. Now, it was just another part of her that he loved.

"Suit yourself, Evans," he said simply as they mounted a staircase.

"I think we should start from the top floor and move our way down," said Lily, changin the subject.

"I like it Evans: efficient."

It was quiet again. James wasn't fond of silence. He loved talking to Evans, hearing her smart responses, even though they were usually not what he wanted to hear. Her voice was magnificient in his ears; he often thought that, if he died and went to heaven--the chances were slim, but he figured he could dream--everyone would sound like Evans did.

Considering his new tactic, James thought of some "non-suggestive" comments with which he could peg Evans. After a moment, he decided that his might actually be a good idea: he could get brownie points with her while learning stuff about her.

" What's your favorite color, Evans?" he asked aloud. She had been very focused on the hall in front of them, but now she turned those gorgeous green eyes of hers to him.

"Excuse me?"

"The color that you find most attractive?" he tried again.

"Oh,"

She was obviously taken off guard. James reminded himself to do this more often.

"Why do you want to know?" now she was defensive.

"It's just a question Evans."

They were moving onto the sixth floor.

"Alright," she thought for a moment, "Green." James nodded as he made a mental note. It wouldn't be hard to remember: the same as her eyes, "What about you?" she said quickly.

"Green, or red."

He hadn't really thought of it before. But Evans' eyes were green, and that counted for something. And then Gryffindor's colors were red and gold, so were their Quidditch uniforms.

"Oh."

They were on the fifth floor. James thought of another question.

"What's your favorite class?"

Lily blushed. James had the strong urge to kiss her whenever she did this. Then again, he always had a strong urge to kiss her, "I've always liked Transfiguration, you?"

"I'm a fan of DADA," he said, mentioning the only class in which he and Evans sat next to each other. It was by far the best part of his day. Obviously remembering the seatint arrangement, Evans blushed even more.

They took the stairs down to the fourth floor.

"What do you want to be when you get out of here?" Lily asked him, catching onto the question-theme, "Sorry, I wanted to ask one," she added quickly.

"No problem," he said, happy that she was taking an interest, "A Quidditch player," he said, confidently, "You're going to love our games this year. That is, if we get a decent team."

"What happened?"

"Nothing, nothing, just that Emerson and Fenton left last year, so we have two Chaser positions open," he counted them off on his fingers, "I play Seeker, Leon Cooper and Will Robinson--both are sixth years--play Beaters, Veronica Moore is the remaining chaser, but Nick Watson left last year, so we need another Keeper."

"So you need two chasers and a keeper?" Lily surmised.

"Yeah."

"That's not too bad," she said. As much as he loved her, Lily was not a Quidditch fanatic.

"Evans, that's nearly half the team. And the chasers and the keeper have some of the most important positions," he said gently.

"Oh, I see your point."

"What did Sam want with you?" asked Lily, smiling at him. He was immediately off his guard; she rarely smiled at him. This was the second time ever.

Third floor now.

"I promised her I wouldn't tell," he said, still staring at her smile. He would have sworn that it lit up the hall, "Sorry, Evans."

"C'mon Potter, please?" she begged. This was new. She had never asked him for something. He had a chance to make her happy. Would he blow it for a promise to Tchaikovsky.

"I promised Nutcracker, Evans. No can do,"

_No can do? _What was he saying?

"James, please?"

To his immense delight--and horror--he turned to see Evans staring up at him with the most open look of pleading that he had ever seen. Her green eyes stared up at her through immense lashes. And she had called him _James._

"She wanted to know when Quidditch tryouts were."

_Dammit. Sorry Tchaikovsky. _He apologised mentally.

"Aha," Lily said, blinking once and her pleading eyes were gone. Of course it had all been an act. She just wanted to know what Tchaikovsky was up to. She was good. James kicked himself mentally.

"What about you," he asked, remembering the original question, "What do you want to do?"

"I want to be an Auror," her tone was back to semi-annoyed, semi-entertained.

James himself had entertained the notion, and, if he did not make it to play Quidditch, it was definitely his back-up plan. Now with Voldemort on the rise, and the Death Eaters starting to attack more freely, Aurors were in-demand. However, an exceptional amount of danger was associated with the occupation.

"Evans, you can't be an Auror," James frowned.

"I'm afraid your opinion means nothing to me," said Lily smartly, "Particularly in my career choices. I am more than qualified to be an Auror."

Merlin, now she thought that he didn't think she was smart enough.

"It's not that Evans," he ran a hand through his hair, "I know you're qualified. It's just, isn't it dangerous?"

"Oh, well spotted," she snapped.

"No, it's well, I wouldn't want you dying, Evans,"

She was quiet. Finally, she turned her face to look at him.

"Thanks," she paused.

He wasn't sure what to say. Maybe, he thought, he shouldn't have said anything at all. Maybe he should have just let her be mad at him, as she had been for six straight years. But then again, he thought, looking at her, maybe he had said something _right._

"That was really, really decent of you, Potter," she said. Damn, he was back to being Potter.

They were now descending to the entrance hall.

"All clear," said James, looking around.

"Yes," Lily agreed, stifling a yawn.

"You're tired, Evans. Let's get you back,"

* * *

"Samantha?" Lily hissed as she entered the dormitory. All of the hangings were closed around the beds. Lily tip-toed across to Sam's bed and wrenched open the hangings. Sam, as predicted, was not asleep, but feigning rather badly. Lily spotted the Quidditch magazine sticking out from under her pillow.

Sam wanted to try out for the Quidditch team. Lily had gotten that much out of Potter. She wondered how much more she could seduce out of that boy. Ew, had she just used "seduce" and "Potter" together? She shivered. Gross.

"Sam,"

Sam opened her eyes blurrily.

"Lils? Is that you?"

"Oh give it up,"

"Fine," Sam sat up on the bed and looked at Lily, "How were rounds?"

"They were," Lily searched her brain for a word, "nice."

"Nice?" said Sam raising her eyebrows, "Since when have you enjoyed anything Potter-Related?"

"Since he told me what you two were talking about tonight," announced Lily, unable to keep it to herself. She smiled smugly.

"What?" yelled Sam. Joanna turned over. Sam lowered her voice, "What?"

"I got him to tell me what you were talking about," repeated Lily, "You _do _want to join the Quidditch team! Why didn't you tell me?"

"What, did you flash him or something?" asked Sam, irritably, obviously stuck on how Potter could have revealed her secret.

"No!" whispered Lily indignantly, "I just had to call him James."

"Well, it's good to know that Potter's promises can be trusted," Sam declared, "Honestly!"

"Relax," soothed Lily," but were you going to tell me?"

"No," said Sam flatly, moving to go back to sleep. She shut her eyes, "If I made it, yes, but I didn't want to disappoint anyone."

"Sam, you're ridiculous," said Lily sadly, giving her friend a hug, "You could never disappoint me! Are you good?" she added, "At Quidditch? Do you want to be the, er, what is it? The chaser or the keeper?"

"How did you know what positions were open?" Sam asked suspiciously. Lily was quiet and realisation dawned on Sam's face, "You acutally had a _civil _conversation with James Potter!" Sam poked her in the shoulder, "You did! Ha ha! I knew it!"

"Sam, relax. It wasn't that big of a deal," protested Lily.

"What else did you talk about?" asked Sam.

"He asked me what I wanted to be," said Lily, who had actually been planning on sharing this aspect of the conversation with Sam, "And when I told him I was planning on being an Auror, he said I shouldn't be."

"He's sexist?" speculated Sam, "I wouldn't have guessed,"

"That's what I thought at first," Lily protested, "but he said he didn't want me to die,"

Silence fell between them and Sam stared blankly at her.

"Lils, I think he might actually love you."


	5. In the Slytherin Common Room

_Still don't own any characters that you recognise--except Samantha Tchaikovsky, you might start recognising her now._

_Um, if anyone knows how to access my reviews, that would be cool to let me know!I would love to read them, but can't figure out how to. Sorry, I'm new. (sheepish expression)_

_Thanks for reading, hope you like it, and I'm really trying to discover the secret to review (it's actually starting to bug me a lot) If anyone wants to help me, my e-mail is: ._

* * *

_A note on the chapter: I know this one is short, but it's helping to develop the plot that I currently have. Please review for me, and I vow to figure out how to work this wonderful website and respond. _

_Love Always,_

_Fae_

**In the Slytherin Common Room**

"Come quickly," Narcissa hissed as she stoked the flames of the Slytherin common room fire. Behind her, she heard Severus Snape and Lucius Malfoy sit behind her.

"Where are the others?" she demanded. Rookwood and Yaxley were conspicuously absent, as were the fith years Regulus Black and Dolholov.

"They refused to come," sniffed Malfoy, obviously harboring a feeling of distrust towards the newcomers.

"It will take time," said Narcissa, repeating the words of the Dark Lord.

"We do not have time," spoke Severus, "the Dark Lord requires service now."

"Indeed," agreed Malfoy.

It was silent, except for the chanting of Narcissa, as she muttered the incantation the Dark Lord had given her for him to make an appearance in the flames.

"The others are soundly asleep," announced Alecto Carrow, arriving in the small circle with his sister, Amycus. Both were stout and lumpy, and Narcissa did not like them, but they had answered the Dark Lord's call, something that equalized them, whether she liked it or not.

"Hopefully not dead," said Severus in a bored tone.

"They're not dead, Snape," snapped Amycus, and Narcissa saw her hand itch towards her wand.

"That is very good, seeing as the Dark Lord instructed us not to have any killings at Hogwarts--for now," Severus repeated Lord Voldemort's words.

"We know what the Dark Lord said!" growled Alecto in his unnaturally high voice. He pulled his wand on Snape at the same time his sister did. It was quiet, then:

"I risk discovery, and this is what I find? Dissention between my followers?"

They all turned to see the alien face of Lord Voldemort.

"My Lord," they all murmured, kneeling low.

"Rise," he spat, "this will not do. I must have unity between my Death Eaters, particularly my spies amongst Hogwarts."

"My apologies, My Lord," Narcissa simpered, knowing she had done no wrong, yet it would appease Lord Voldemort none the less.

"Ah, Narcissa..." Voldemort turned the slits which made his eyes towards her. She shivered slightly, hoping he had not noticed, "You still tremble in my presence?" he noted.

"I am not worthy, my Lord," she said quickly, damning her unstable nerves.

"All is forgiven, my most trusted servent," he whispered, and she knew that it was safe to look him in the eyes. When she did, she felt another shiver beginning, but succeeded in pushing it away.

"All of you," Voldemort turned his eyes to the others, "Where are the newest recruits?"

They were silent.

"They have not come, my Lord," said Snape finally.

"It will take time, Snape, do not rush them," admonished Voldemort, and Narcissa gave Snape a quick, gloating smile when he met her eyes, "Indeed, we must wait. Those who are loyal will join in due time," he thought aloud.

"My Lord, is there anything you require of us?" asked Malfoy, stepping forward.

"Malfoy, my anxious friend, there is," whispered Voldemort, and they all took a reluctant step forward to hear his voice, "Regulus Black's brother, Sirius is his name, tell me of him," he commanded.

So, the Dark Lord had conversed with Regulus Black in a private audience, and the child had chosen not to show up. It would seem the Dark Lord had a new favourite, Narcissa thought with a cringe.

"He is haughty, my Lord, arrogant and foolish, with no skills of any sort," said Malfoy.

"Lucius, let us not let our personal prejudices impair our judgment," said Voldemort, his thin lips turning into some sort of smile, "Narcissa, what have you to say?" She paused, before speaking.

"He is indeed arrongant, my Lord, but he has skill with a wand and is clever and crafty. He is friends with the pureblood Potter, the half-blood Lupin, and a child Pettigrew, of whom I have no knowledge. The last is a useless body; he is a follower to the highest bidder, a simpleton."

"Again, we allow our biases to cloud our judgment," repeated Voldemort, "You all underestimate the value of a follower and simpleton. The Potter boy, I know of his parents, they are both Aurors. I know little of the Lupins, as they are intreverts, known for their reclusive qualities," he paused, "However, the Blacks have been loyal to my cause for many years," said Voldemort, "and I think he can be swayed."

"With eternal respect, my Lord," spoke Snape, "All are loyal to Dumbledore."

"These things take time," said Voldemort, "I remember you yourself were hesitent, Severus, when you first joined our cause."

"My Lord, my loyalty to you has never faultered," said Snape in pretty speech.

"I believe you, Severus, and that was why I waited for you to come to your senses. Sirius Black's brother has proved very useful to me, and I believe his brother to be cut of the same cloth."

"My Lord--"

"Enough," announced Voldemort, "I have made up my mind. You will bring me James Potter and Sirius Black."

"When?" inquired Malfoy, who was clearly unhappy.

"We shall wait a while," suggested the Dark Lord, "you will observe them, then, we shall plan our next move."

"Yes, my Lord," they all kneeled again as the Dark Lord's head vanished from the flames.


	6. Tryouts

_Still don't own any characters that you recognise--except Samantha Tchaikovsky, you might start recognising her now._

_Um, if anyone knows how to access my reviews, that would be cool to let me know!I would love to read them, but can't figure out how to. Sorry, I'm new. (sheepish expression)_

_Thanks for reading, hope you like it, and I'm really trying to discover the secret to review (it's actually starting to bug me a lot) If anyone wants to help me, my e-mail is: ._

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_A note on the chapter: I felt badly about the terrible state that the last chapter was in, so I uploaded this, too. I was going to save it for a while, but, as I said previously, I felt badly, so....Here it is. Much longer, and as I am rather fond of this chapter, I hope you are too! If you have any comments, concerns or especially criticisms, I would be thrilled to hear them._

_Love Always,_

_Fae_

**Tryouts**

September faded into October as the general routine of the days overtook the students. Seventh Years in particular were forced to work often and hard, as many teachers seemed to live under the rule "Homework all the Time."

Sam had to agree, as she bitterly bent over a mass of papers, all of which remained unfinished. She and Lily had holed up in one of the far tables in the Library, making a pact that neither of them would leave until their work was complete. It was Saturday, and though the Library was marked by a few other students, the rest were visible on the grounds below, enjoying the final rays of Autumn. For the sixth time, Sam glanced out of the window to look at her peers, obviously enjoying the day. She sighed loudly. Lily finished the paragraph she was working on before she looked up at Sam.

"Please, Lily," begged Sam in a whisper, "Please, we would finish it all later."

"Sam, you have never, ever wanted so badly to get out of homework," Lily observed, rolling up her Muggle Studies essay and putting it in her bag, "Seventh year is getting to you."

"Getting to me?" Sam yelped, "Lily, what's getting to me is sitting in this hell hole while everyone else enjoys the day!" she clarified. Seeing that Lily's red head was bent back over another essay, Sam gave up. She looked at her own Muggle Studies essay, in which she was documenting the Muggle's development of luminary objects. Already, she had traced the cultivation of fire from pit to torch and into the invention of candles and gas lamps. Her last paragraph was on the lightbulb. It was nearly finished, she just had to sum it up with the last sentence.

"_It is obvious that Muggles again fell behind in the development of illuminations when compared to their Wizarding counterparts, who had a gained control, not only over fire, but also the spell _Lumos_ in the 22nd century, BC." _Sam wrote, voicing each word aloud. When she stopped, Lily was staring at her with a bemused expression.

"For someone who comes from a Muggle family, you sure make them sound stupid," she said.

"Lils, it's about playing to what the Professor wants to hear," said Sam wisely, "You know that O'Garrison thinks Muggles are as stupid as trolls. If I made them sound any smarter, she'd mark me down points."

Lily, thinking that there was some truth to these words, had unrolled her own essay for a second look.

"You're right," she moaned, "look here, I said 'ingenius use of lightening.' She'll hate that." Though she was right, Sam felt rather badly as Lily scratched out the line and replaced it. She sighed and rolled up her own parchment, moving onto her Defense Against the Dark Arts. It was probably her second-favorite class, seeing as she had always loved dueling. She read the assignment at the top of the page: _Explain three common methods of magical torture used today, and compare them to those of the pass._

"Magical torture?" repeated Sam, "What did you do?"

"Um, the Cruciatus curse, then the Imperius curse, and finally the use of Accio to pull the person's brain out of thier head."

"Ew!" said Sam, shaking her head, as a rock hit the library window. Sometimes Ground Quidditch could get out of hand, "that's sick!"

"I know," said Lily.

"I think I'll use those first two, then the use of Love Potions."

"What?"

"Love potions," Sam repeated, "Wouldn't it be terrible to be forced to love somebody you didn't?"

"I suppose, but the drinker doesn't actually notice."

"Still,"

Sam wrote the three topics at the top of her page, then looked at the window as another rock hit it.

"There are people throwing rocks," said Sam, rising and looking down onto the Grounds. Remus Lupin was standing beneath the window, throwing small pebbles. "What?" Sam mouthed, as he looked at her. Lupin pointed to his watch, then over his shoulder. Sam held up her hands in the universal charade for "I have no idea what you're saying." There was nothing behind him except the Quidditch Pitch and the Forbidden Forest. What did she have to--the Quidditch Pitch.

"Bloody hell, Lils," Sam spun around as she began to gather her homework, "I forgot about tryouts."

"Oh dear," said Lily, beginning to gather her own belongings, "How long do you have?"

"Ten minutes," Sam said, throwing her bag over her shoulder, "I'll meet you down there!" she added, sprinting out of the library.

"Silence in the Library!" the Librarian proclaimed, to no one in particular.

Sam took the stairs two at a time to the Dormitories. The Fat Lady, after seeing Sam enter her Portrait Hole for seven years, and glimpsing the look of hurry on her face, swung open without a password. Sam was quite sure that she was not supposed to do this, but only shouted, "Thank you!" over her shoulder as she made for the dormitory.

She stripped out of her school robes, dressing quickly in a pair of red sweatpants, a black, long-sleeved thermal shirt, and a black and red football style jersey top that said "England" on the back in ornate red lettering. Sam grabbed Lily's warmest school cloak, as the tryouts were scheduled to continue well into the evening.

Sam sprinted back the way she had come, down from the dormitory and out of the Portrait Hole. She crossed the halls and flew down the entrance stairs outside, and finally, lungs ready to give out, halted next to the stands on the Quidditch Pitch.

Immediately, she spotted Lily, who was easily visible, not only because of her red hair, but also because Lupin, Black, and Pettigrew were all standing by her. Sam laughed and crossed the field to the small wooden bleachers that had been set up for people to view the tryouts.

"Here," she said, giving the cloak to Lily.

"Thanks," said Lily, looking up from another paper, which she had brought outside.

"You're trying out, Nutcracker?" Sirius' voice was a taunt. However, it was surprised that she knew James had at least kept her secret from him.

"I don't have time for you, right now, Black," she said, ignoring him almost completely as she tied her hair up into a pony tail.

"What position?" asked Lupin.

"Chaser," she said, pulling a few fly away hairs with a bobby pin, "Dammit, I forgot the bobby pins," she cursed. She looked down to see Lily, holding up four bobby pins, "I love you!" Sam exclaimed, grabbing the pins and securing the pieces.

"I know," said Lily, smiling.

"Tchaikovsky!" James yelled from across the pitch, "Chasers are trying out now!"

"OK!" Sam shouted back, "gotta go!" she added, feeling rather sick.

"Good luck!" said Lily, giving her a hug.

"Yeah, Samantha, good luck," said Lupin, smiling. Peter nodded. Sirius looked at her. She sighed. She hadn't really expected anything but teasing from him, anyway. She started out to James, who was holding a school broom out to her. She grabbed its handle tightly.

* * *

Lily watched as Sam ran across the pitch to James. She grabbed the broom before stepping back into the crowd of eight people that had come to try out for the two open Chaser positions. Though it had been sunny and pleasant when Lily had first come down here, it was now breezy and damp, the air was cooling quickly. The wind that was picking up blew James' voice towards the stands.

"Moore and I will be on either sides of the pitch. One at a time, you all will come up here and pass it back and forth, try to get the Quaffle when we're both on the same team, intercept it, shoot, etcetera," he instructed. Lily had to admit that from this angle, James held a certain look of authority about his person. He was mature and stern when he was captain, two sides that Lily had never seen.

Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, and Peter Pettirew were all seated around her, watching tryouts as well.

"Crane!" James yelled and the first boy to try out stepped forward. He was a third year, with a rather large build and brown hair that was shaved close to his head. James mounted his broom--it was here that Lily noticed he flew with incredible ease and ability--followed by Veronica Moore, a stocky girl with dirty blonde hair that was cut much like James'. Crane was relatively good, he caught a few passes, but dropped four, made three goals but missed seven clean, and never once intercepted a pass between James and Veronica.

There were three contestents remaining when Veronica picked up the clip-board.

"Chai--" she stopped, looking quizzically at James.

"Tchaikovsky," James pronounced clearly, and Sam, who was looking excpetionally pale now, stepped forward, mounted her broom, and shot into the sky. Lily, who had never seen Sam play before, thought she flew rather well.

"She's natural on a broom stick," commented Lupin, surveying her.

"Let's see if she can play," said Sirius. However, he sounded interested, not his usual scoffing self, "I've got three galleons that she has played for four years," he said, quickly turning the tryouts into a competition.

"No," argued Lupin, "She's go talent, but it isn't trained. She hasn't played more than a year. I'll match your three."

"Wormtail?"

"Um," Peter hesitiated, "I'll say four years, with Padfoot." Lupin shrugged his shoulders.

"I'll expect six galleons when this is done," he said pointedly.

Sam did have natural talent and excellent reflexes. She caught every one of James' passes to her, and, upon the returns--during which the players were expected to avoid Veronica--she did not have one intercepted.

"That's good, isn't it?" asked Lily eaernestly. Peter nodded to her.

"Shooting, Tchaikovsky," shouted Veronica, going towards the goal posts to play Keeper. James and Sam started at the other end of the field, throwing and passing until they were at the very end, where Sam was expected to shoot. She made the first five, missed her sixth, had Veronica catch the seventh, made her eight, on her ninth she took a gutsy shot from far out, chucking the Quaffle towards the further-most goal post. When it went in, Lily found herself cheering. She had one more pass to go, but already she had the best record. James and Sam took a few minutes at the far end of the field, heads bent together. When they broke their huddle, it was apparent that they were going to try something different.

James took the Quaffle and flew high up. He threw it down to Sam, who caught it and took off towards the goal posts. Towards the last thrid, she threw it in a high arc and James, who had been floating above, caught it on the downfall. He threw it outwards, but a strong gust of wind took the ball in the opposite direction. Sam shot off immediately, reached the ball with ease in the outstretched palm of her hand. She wound up like a discus and finally released it. Lily watched as the red sphere spun rapidly towards the goal that Veronica was guarding. Lily sighed, putting her head in her hands. Sam had not shot to Veronica's post all night! Right before it made it to Veronica's outstretched arms, the Quaffle curved and sailed through the far post.

"Yes!" yelled Lily, standing up to cheer. Sam saw her below and grinned, holding a thumbs-up. With this last victory propelling her, Sam overtook pass after pass that James threw to Veronica. Finally, Sam landed.

"Say good-bye to your money, Moony," Sirius fairly sang as Sam dismounted the broom.

"Lyol!" James moved onto the next name as Sam moved back to the stands.

To Lily's surprise, it was Sirius that jumped up to congratulate her.

"Where'd you get that curve ball?" Sirius asked, hi-fiving her enthusiastically. Sam grinned broadly.

"James says we all have to go talk to him on Monday. They'll have the team by then!" she told Lily, sitting down next to her. Sam's face was wind-beaten, her hair was coming out of her ponytail, but she had never looked happier, "I'm going to stay and watch the rest of tryouts," she said.

"Oh," Lily looked at her watch, "I have to get this stuff finished, Sam," she said apologetically, "I have a Head Meeting soon and..." she trailed off.

"That's OK," said Sam, "good luck," Lily waved as she made her way to exit the pitch. James, who was working with the fourth-year, Lyol. He was passing the Quaffle to James jsut as Lily walked under them.

"Bye Evans!" shouted James, waving at her. She looked up in time to see Lyol's pass hit James in the jaw. His glasses fell off his face and hit the ground. James swore loudly.

"Watch where you're a-lookin', Captain!" shouted Lyol in a burly accent.

"Lyol, take a seat," growled James as he landed his broom on the grass. Lily bent down and picked up his glasses, which were broken in two places. Smiling to herself, she tapped them once.

"_Reparo_," she muttered and they fixed themselves instantly. James was wondering around in the wrong direction.

"Padfoot, did you see where they fell?" he yelled to Sirius, who was laughing with Sam, Remus, and Peter. James knocked blindly into one of the support beams and swore again. Lily set down her bag and crossed the field again. She put a hand on James' shoulder.

"Here, Potter," she said. She had not been aware of how badly he needed his glasses. He reached out in the opposite direction of the outstretched spectacles. Lily sighed and leaned in, fitting the glasses over James' ears. He blinked once and grinned at her. She was suddenly very aware of her proximity with him, how close his hazel eyes were, the heat radiating off of his body. For some reason that she would never be able to identify, she didn't remove her hands. Grabbing her wrists, James pulled her towards her, kissing her soundly on the mouth.

Lily froze for a second, then, coming very quickly to her senses, she pushed him back.

"Potter!" she shouted, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand, "What--what was that for?" she spluttered as he took a step back.

"Just in case I never get to do that," said James.

Lily could think of nothing to say as she turned back, picked up her bags and stormed off towards the castle. Her mind was a mix of anger and hate. How could she have ever thought that Potter could change?

But as she started to climb the front staircase, a new thought pushed to the front of her mind; as much as she hated Potter, his lips had been very warm, his hands around her wrists had sent shocks up her arms.

She had wanted to kiss him back.

* * *

"I'm going to stay to watch the rest of the tryouts," Sam announced, sitting on the ancient wooden bleachers next to the Quidditch pitch.

"Oh," Lily said, looking at her wrist watch, "I have to get this stuff finished, Sam. I have a Head Meeting soon and..."

"That's OK," said Sam, "good luck!"

Lily turned and strode away. Sam leaned forward so that her forearms were resting on her knees. She felt wonderful. Truthfully, Sam hadn't played Quidditch since the summer of her first year at Hogwarts. After playing it once, she knew that she loved to fly, loved the feeling of the Quaffle in her hand or tucked sucurely in the crook of her arm. But she had never tried out for the school team. Now, cheeks warm with wind, Sam felt sheer exhilaration. Above all, she felt fairly confident that she had made the team.

To her surprise, Sirius Black sat down next to her.

"You know Quidditch, Tchaikovsky?" he asked. Sam could tell it was a test of sorts. He was judging how intimate she was with the sport-- with this aspect of the wizarding world.

"Fairly well, Black," she responded immediately. Time was of the essence with these tests; delayed responses did not show consideration, they showed lack-of-willingness to explore this mainly-male topic at hand.

"Favorite position?"

"To play?"

He nodded. She smirked.

"Chaser," she bit her tongue to keep from saying "Obviously."

"To watch?"

She hesitated, despite knowing that it would lower her final score, "Keeper," she said, "I like to see the opposition." He seemed impressed.

"Interesting. Favorite team?"

"The Irish," Sam said instantly. She had followed the Irish since she knew that Quidditch existed.

"Not the Gorodok Gargoyles?" asked Sirius, referring to the nearest thing there was to a Russian team.

"No. Who's yours?"

"Kenmare Kestrals, when they're winning," he added.

"Ah, the green and the yellow," Sam referenced the team colors. He stared at her. Finally, he broke a smile, and she knew her questioning was over. Still smiling to himself, Sirius leaned back against the bleacher behind him, sprawling out his arms.

Sam, who found herself staring at his muscular arms and chest, looked out across the pitch to where Lily was stopped. Sam could see she was holding something in her hands. More strange, was James, who was walking around stupidly on the pitch.

"What happened?" she asked.

"James dropped his glasses."

"Is he that blind?" Sam jeered.

"No," Sirius smirked.

"Then why--?" Sam broke off as she understood James' stunt. If Lily had the glasses and thought that he was blind, she would surely approach him to return them.

"Padfoot? You see where they fell?" James shouted, and when he turned away from Lily, he opened his eyes widely and winked. Sam began to laugh with the rest of the Marauders. She found herself doubled over with giggles as James hit a support beam. He was exceptionally dedicated.

"Ah, here it is," announced Remus, and Sam sat up to see Lily tap Potter on the shoulder. She reached out and put the glasses on James' face. James, who had her thoroughly in his trap, grabbed her wrists, pulled her towards him, and kissed her.

Sam was expecting curses, punches, _any _type of fight from Lily, but she wasn't expecting Lily to remain in Potter's arms. Sam counted out the seconds--one--two--three--fou--Lily pushed him away.

"Potter!" she screamed.

James muttered something to her that the wind stole away. Lily wiped her mouth and began a rather fierce stomp up to the castle.

"He has some nerve," Sam muttered, but she couldn't help laughing in appreciation.

"When it comes to Evans, there's nothing Prongs wouldn't do," said Sirius. They all sat a moment, lost in their own thoughts. Sam was pulled out of her reverie by Lupin.

"So, Tchaikovsky, how long have you played Quidditch?"

"Once. One game when I was twelve."

She wasn't sure what they had been expecting, but it certainly wasn't this. Lupin broke into a large smile, while both Peter and Sirius looked exceptionally dejected.

"Are you lying, Tchaikovsky?"

"No," she said defensively, "Why?"

"Six galleons," Lupin said between bouts of laughter, "By tomorrow."

"You bet on me?"

"Yeah," said Sirius sullenly, "I said that you had played at least four years, and Wormtail agreed. Chuckles over there said you hadn't played more than once."

"How did you guess?" asked Sam, feeling herself blush.

"Oh, it's not anything about your skills," said Lupin, reading her face, "You have natural talent--"

"It just wasn't trained," Sirius mimicked Lupin's voice.

"Guys are crazy," Sam proclaimed, settling back into her hunched position. Silence fell as she began to watch the tryouts again. She had missed Lyol's entire tryout, but got to see the last one, a sixth year firl named Jamie Yates. Jamie was a tall, Amazon of a girl, with ashen hair and tan skin. Her eyes were exceptionally large and exceptionally blue. Even from a distance, her muscles were visible from underneath her shirt. She was quite good, and beat Sam's shooting record by one. She obviously had more experience on a broom, and more with the strategy of the game. However, she only intercepted seven of James and Veronica's passes. Still, when she landed, Sam felt serious competition.

"Don't worry, Nutcracker," said Sirius, "She didn't have a curve ball."

And in a way, that made Sam feel much better.

During the last two contestents for Keeper, Sam rose from her seat. It was cold and now raining in a drizzle.

"Where are you going?" asked Sirius.

"In," she said, "I have loads of homework, and it's raining and I'm cold."

"Quidditch players are expected to withstand the elements," he said smoothly.

"Only when they have to," she smiled and started across the pitch.

"Hey! Tchaikovsky!"

She turned to see Sirius, running towards her.

"What?"

"Let me--let me walk you back up to the castle," he said in a hesitant voice, not meeting her eye. It was the kindest thing that he had said to her since she had met him.

"Thanks," she said, turning back towards the castle. But not before she saw Lupin and Pettigrew laughing in their bleachers, "Did you bet them something?" she asked, suddenly disappointed. Of course Black wouldn't make this kind of gesture out of the blue, "Trying to win your galleons back?"

"No!" he said hurriedly, "No, well, they kind of dared me to ask you," he said, "but not for money."

Of course it was a dare, Sam berated herself. She wasn't even sure why she had been so excited at the gesture. She never cared what Black did, and she was determined to regain that mind-set. She suddenly wished very sorely that she had denied him.

"You're mad, huh?" said Black quietly, keeping pace with her.

"A wee bit," she admitted, looking sideways at him. He was staring at her face.

"I'm sorry," he offered.

"That's alright," she sighed, defying her new-found resolve. She found that she didn't want to be upset with him, "It's the, um, _action_ that counts, right? Who cares about thought?"

He laughed.

"Naw, I should have asked you on my own," he atoned, "I will next time."

Sam found her heart beating quickly as she thought of a 'next time.'

Then the clouds broke with a clap of thunder, drenching them under a torrent of water. She let loose a scream and ran for the doors. She heard Sirius laugh behind her as he followed. The ground was quickly running into mud, and the grass tore out in clumps where her shoes shredded it.

"Race you!" he yelled, tearing past.

"You're on!" she yelled back, moving her feet to a sprint. They reached the door at the same time.

"Beat you," they said simultaneously, looking at each other. Sirius had mud coating the bottom of his jeans, splatter marks on his grey shirt. His black hair was sopping and hung limply in his eyes, which were laughing and bright.

"You have mud on your face," he said, pointing to her cheek. She swiped at either side. He shook his head to tell her that she hadn't removed it. He lifted his own hand ran it along her cheek, "there," he said, pulling his hand away.

And when she found her heart beating quickly again, she blamed it on the race.

* * *

When James collapsed onto his bed in their dormitory that evening after tryouts, he was soaked with the rain that had started to fall, exhausted from the flying, hungry from missing dinner, but he felt as if he could fly on his own.

"How was it?" asked Sirius, watching his friend.

James had kissed Lily. He wasn't even sure what had made him do it. True, he had lured her over to him with that 'blind man' bit, but when she put his glasses back on, and he saw her face that close to his, he knew that he had to kiss her. She had seemed pretty upset when she had left, but James tried not to care. When _hadn't_ Evans been mad with him?

"It was bloody wonderful," he said finally, sitting up, "She smelled like--"

"Oranges and flowers and vanilla?" supposed Moony from the bed next to James.

"Yeah!" he said, "how'd you know?"

"That's what you said after you smelled the Amortentia," said Peter, looking up from his candy stash.

"Yeah, oranges and flowers and vanilla," he repeated. He wanted to smell that forever, wanted to hear Evans' voice forever. He wanted to look into her eyes for eternity, wanted to kiss her without ever having to stop. . .


	7. Dueling

_Still don't own any characters that you recognise--except Samantha Tchaikovsky, you might start recognising her now._

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_A note on the chapter: Thought I'd upload the next chapter as well. So, um, most of you can kind of see where this is headed. It wasn't really a secret......but it is still find to read!!!!! Ha ha, I hope you all are well, and if you are feeling exceptionally well, perchance you could find it within your hearts to leave me a review. If, however, your heart is too small, I would recommend you attempting to steal a mass of Christmas presents from a village, take them up to a mountain and make to dump the aforementioned presents, as this practise has been known to help hearts grow in size._

_Also, I would like to say that I often mix between the British and American spellings of words. I apologise/apologize. I read a lot of British books, and therefore the spellings are in my head that way, but I live in the US, so there's a bit of a clash there._

_Love Always,_

_Fae_

**All Types of Defenses**

Lily Evans did not want to go to DADA. In fact, she couldn't think of anything she would rather do less. After being kissed--in her head, she called it assaulted--by James Potter, sitting next to her assailant was less-than-inviting. Unfortunately, though Sam lent an excellent ear to her cause, Sam herself was actually quite happy and cheerful lately, for reasons unbeknownst to Lily.

Lily took her desk in the front of the room. In ordered pairs, she was on the right hand side. Armed with this information, she had done her hair especially for this class, so it hung in a straight curtain on the left side of her face. She had been artfully avoiding James for the entire day, even though they had most of their classes together--something that Lily was now recognising as an unhappy coincidence.

For now, Sam sat in James' seat, keeping Lily company until class began.

"Lily, I think you should let it go," said Sam, arguing James' side yet again. Lily had noticed this becoming a pattern soon after tryouts. Oh well, she thought, tonight, Sam would go see if she was on the team. Either way, Lily hoped that Sam would stop sticking up for the Attacker, as he was now known in her subconscious.

"Sam, I know you want him to be happy with you because of tryouts and everything, but sticking up for him won't make him put you on the team--your skills will,"

"Lily, this isn't about Quidditch, it's about 'the Attacker,'" Sam said, looking at her.

"How did you know I called him that?" asked Lily in a furious whisper, watching the door. Sure enough, James swaggered in with the rest of the Marauders trailing behind. He tried to catch her eye, but she turned her attention towards Sam.

"May I take a moment to point out that you yourself just told me, in the case that it was nothing more than a lucky guess," Sam smiled, "But I heard you last night, tossing and turning, talking about James, the Attacker. Funny name, by the way," she added.

"Shut up," Lily snapped, "That's what he is."

"You know what, Lily," said Sam, looking hurt, "I'll bet you wanted to kiss him back,"

There was a grand pause, then,

"How'd you know?" Lily's voice could barely be heard.

"That, Lily, was a lucky guess," Sam's features were set in those of eternal shock.

"Damn you, Samantha Tchaikovsky," hissed Lily as she saw James approaching. Sam stood up and smiled widely at him.

"Your seat," she said, to him, bowing away, but not before catching Lily's eye. And making a kissing face. And sticking her tongue out. Lily cringed and turned back to face the front of the class room. From her periphery, she saw James looking at her, and thus she deployed her hair, over her shoulder, blocking out the feral James Potter, the Attacker, once and for all.

Looking up to the front of the room, Lily saw their DADA professor, Kaelyn, enter the class through her office. Professor Loretta Kaelyn was one of the only female teachers in Hogwarts' history to have taught DADA. It was not a prejudiced school, but the field was classically dominated by men.

Before being a professor, Kaelyn had been a well-respected auror, who had worked with great outcomes in the field. However, after an episode that Kaelyn referred to as "The Incident" whenever the subject arose, she had retired and had become a professor for Dumbledore. Kaelyn was young, perhaps only twenty-six, and had short blackish-brown hair that was often worn in small ringlets. She had small, topaz eyes that were crowned with the longest eyelashes that Lily had ever seen, and dark eyebrows that had been waxed to thin arches. Her skin was a warm golden color, and Lily was quite confident that she would have been the most beautiful person she had ever met, if not for "The Incident."

The enitre left side of Kaelyn's face had been shredded and mended into a horrible, wide scar that ran the length of her head, down to her neck, and part of the way to her chest. It was a shiny, pink scar that had obivously been well-healed, but it had warped her features so that even her left eye sat lower, and at an opposite angle on her her cheek bone.

She still maintained the complete attention of the class, and each student regarded the young professor with the utmost respect. Kaelyn now sat at the front of the class, on a rickety old stool that stood on one single, centered leg, and wobbled precariously whenever it was not occupied.

"Today," she said in a whisper, and immediately the whole class silenced itself, to stare at Kaelyn, "Today," now her voice was at a normal, even slightly loud level, her usual tone, "we will be doing something rather...controversy."

In any other class, there would have been instant musings aloud, but the class was quiet.

"As many of you are aware, this is a rather dark era for our wizarding community. There are dark forces about, and it has fallen upon my shoulders to ensure that when every single one of you walks out of these doors for the last time this spring, that you are ready for whatever the world hurls at you," She stood, now, "whether that be an jet of green light," she referenced Avada Kedavra, "or a rotten tomato." They all stifled laughs at her wit.

"That is why we are dueling."

There was silence, but when it became clear that Kaelyn was finished speaking, there was an immediate uproar as people started conversing avidly. After a minute, Kaelyn held up her hand, and silence followed it like a well-trained dog.

"Dumbledore has approved this plan, and therefore, there is no other discussion on whether it shall be allowed or not," she told them, "You may have noticed that at the beginning of the year, I seated you in pairs, one boy with one girl."

Lily looked about the room. It was true, the Ravenclaw class with which they shared the period had the same number of girls and boys as the Gryffindor class.

"You will be dueling your partner,"

There was no moment of silence ensuing this announcement, but rather utter pandemonium. Lily looked back at Samantha who was seated next to Sirius Black. Sam grinned from her seat, and Lily couldn't help smiling back. Ah, sweet revenge. What she would do to James Potter. Not only do, but also be condoned in her actions. Lily was now smiling to no one.

A girl in the back, Yolanda Pillar, a Ravenclaw raised her hand, "Professer, are you sure that that is entirely...fair?"

"Miss Pillar, are the Quidditch teams here co-ed?" asked Kaelyn.

"Yes, ma'am,"

"What of the real world and any real duels that you may find yourself in?" Kaelyn asked, "Are you going to be able to request a female Death Eater to duel?"

"No," said Yolanda, looking embarrassed.

"Do you think that the male Death Eaters will be partial to you because you are a woman?"

As it was rhetorical, Yolanda didn't answer.

"I shall assume my point is well-taken," announced Professor Kaelyn, "There are rules, we have to observe, and they are as follows: NO unforgivable curses, NO inducing of bleeding or other injury--I like my classroom clean. If you perform a spell that I deem unworth of our noble duels, you will instantly lose. Try as I might, I am not able to provide you with all of the aspects of a real duel, and I cannot allow any party to be physically harmed by another."

Kaelyn raised her wand and cleared the front of the classroom: the chalkboards, the posters, the pictures, the statues, the instruments were pushed up to the back wall.

"Stand."

They all did and Kaelyn magically pushed their desks up to the sides, clearing a floor the size of a small ballroom in the middle. One more wave of her wand, and six raised stages appeared.

"This will be much like a championship," she said, "six at a time until we have winners," she counted their class quickly, "The winners from each duel will continue on. The winner will duel me,"

Everyone paused, deciding whether or not they wanted to duel Loretta Kaelyn.

"Let's begin," Kaelyn chose the first six pairs to fill the stages. It soon became apparent who wanted to duel Professor Kaelyn, as those who harbored no such desire gave up easily. Lily saw Remus Lupin's partner actually lay down her wand when they stood of the stage, before anyone had a chance to do anything.

"Where's the spirit?" demanded Professor Kaelyn, walking between the stages with the second set of six pairs. Lily and James' names were still not called, nor had Sam's or Sirius'. Sam crossed the room to sit next to Lily as the final fighters of the second round were eliminated or chosed to move on.

"Ready?" Sam asked as Kaelyn pointed at them both.

"Let's go," said Lily, taking her place on one of the stages. She and Potter, then Samantha and Sirius were the only two pairs left, and Lily found that everyone was watching them after it had been established that neither Lily nor Sam was going to set down their wands.

"This is interesting," said Kaelyn, walking between the stages. Lily saw Sirus wink at Sam, who ignored him. James kept trying to catch Lily's eye, "Potter and Evans, Black and Tchaikovsky," she muttered, still not giving them the signal to begin, "This will be entertaining. So much," she added, "Potter, Evans, you go first, Tchaikovsky and Black will go separately."

Sam and Sirius sat on their stage, turning to look watch their best friends.

Complete silence had fallen, and Lily agreed to look Potter in the eye. He was smirking, as always, but today Lily found it especially irksome.

"Begin!" Kaelyn said.

"Expelliarmus!" shouted Lily.

"Protego," countered Potter, and Lily dodged her own spell as it bounced back at her, then, "Tarantellega!" he shouted.

Lily instantly found herself doing a ridiculous jig. As she turned about, she aimed, then fired her own at Potter, "Avis!" the small flight of birds jetted out towards Potter, and he ducked and swore as they pecked at him, giving her enough time to counter the dancing.

"Enough Potter?" she demanded, and couldn't help smiling.

"Conjunctivitis!" he responded, and Lily had been so busy gloating that she hadn't dodged. As Potter's spell hit her she found her eyes were confused, and the stage, the audience, Potter started to spin into a blur, "What's wrong Evans, do you need glasses?"

His voice was taunting, and though she couldn't see him, she heard that his voice was much closer, and she had the feeling that he was standing in front of her. It was a risk, but if she dove for him--and not of the stage-- she would locate him and be able to get a curse off. She closed her eyes and listened for him to talk again.

"Evans?" he actually started to sound worried. But that was enough. He was to her left and Lily lunged at him, grabbed his robes, and pulled him down on the stage.

"Furnunculus!" she yelled, and she heard him yell as boils erupted on his skin.

"ENOUGH!" Lily heard Kaelyn yell, but when Lily opened her eyes, she still couldn't see anything, "Finite Incantatem!" she added, and instantly Lily's vision was cleared. She was lying on the floor of the stage, Kaelyn was abover her, and Potter was next to her, looking at his arms as the boils that had managed to begin festered on them.

"Evans, you physically harmed Potter here, hence you are the loser of our duel. However, since Mr. Potter is thus handicapped," she paused, and muttered, "Ferula." Bandages unfurled themselves from the end of her wand and she hadned them to James, "This will conclude our dueling escapade. We were out of time anyway. Black, Tchaikovsky, your duel will remained undecided. Evans, take Potter here up to the hospital wing--a little wave from Madame Pomfrey, and the boils will vanish.

"Class, I hope you noted, though Miss Evan's tactics were not following the rules, her use of hand-to-hand combat was creative and brave, if not a bit senseless. Girls, take note. Everyone, you will all have a list of twenty-five curses that you would use in a real duel, due at the end of the week, none that were used today, and yes, I will remember."

Everyone else rose to leave, and Sam found Lily and began to walk with her to where Potter and Sirius were waiting at the door. Potter looked like he was in a fair amount of pain, and underneath the initial gloating feeling, she felt slightly horrible for doing that to him. Potter shocked her yet again by attempting another smile at her through a particularly horrible boil that had developed above his eye, so that it was squinting at her from behind the glasses.

She couldn't help herself, "I'm sorry, Potter," she said, and she was happy to hear some level of loathing backing her words.

"-Oo are a -alehted -irl, Ehans," he said, and she had the sinking feeling that there were boils inside his mouth. The gloating disappeared entirely and she was consumed by guilty discomfort.

Sam looked at her sideways with a sort of dismayed, and yet still slightly impressed glance. Lily made an apologetic face, which turned to dismay as Sam mouthed, "He loves you," behind the boys' backs.

"-Ohn't -urry -Aicrahkeh," said James, "-I'll -ill -oo -eyeout -eesults --oonight."

"Don't worry, James," said Sam as they approached the hospital wing, "And please stop trying to talk, you're making me want to cry," she added pointedly.

They entered the Hospital Wing, and Madame Pomfrey was on them immediately.

"Are you from Professor Kaelyn's dueling experiment?" she supposed, waving her wand once, as Kaelyn had guessed, and James' boils disappeared , "I knew this would happen. Are you the only one?" she demanded of James, who nodded, "I'm surprised. You're fine, be on your way," she turned and walked away to her office, muttering about the "insanity" going about the school.

"I'm sorry," Lily said again.

"Evans, I couldn't be mad at you," said Potter, and though she cringed when he put his arm around her shoulder, she didn't pull away.

"I know," she said, rather sadly.

"Do you want me to be?" he sensed the sadness in her tone and looked at her confusedly.

"No," she admitted.

"Alright, well, I have to say, that was quite a show you put on," he congratulated her, looking at her with his hazel eyes. Lily felt something in her stomach flip-flop. She was probably hungry, she told herself.

"We have a date, Nutcracker," joked Sirius, looking over at Sam, "You an me, in the trophy room, twelve o'clock. Bring a wand and a second if you want one," he smiled at her and Sam threw him a dirty look.

"Black, I could whoop up on you anytime, anywhere," she broke a smile, though when she said it.

"So confident, Nutcracker," tutted Sirius.

"There are reasons, Black, for that confidence," Sam warned him as they approached the Great Hall for lunch.

"I have confidence too, Tchaikovsky," said Sirius, looking at her suggestively, "For reasons that I would be glad to share with you after our duel."

"Trust me, Black, any 'reasons' you have now would be gone after our duel,"

"Such venom, Tchaikovsky," sighed Sirius as he and James broke off from the group to sit in their usual spots. Lily and Sam took their spots a few chairs down.

"I hope you're aware that he was flirting with you," said Lily to Sam as she helped herself to a sandwhich.

"Who doesn't Sirius Black flirt with?" asked Sam, sounding disgusted, "Look now," she nodded at Sirius, who was sidling up to a curvy fifth year.

"Ah, but you flirt back," said Lily, pointing an accusing fork-full of greens at her.

"Again, who doesn't?"

"Sam, you're different though," Lily said thoughtfully, "You flirt back without giving him control."

"What does that mean?" asked Sam, looking amused.

"I don't know...You flirt back but you don't let him win. Ever. It makes him want to come back for more."

"You're mad. I don't flirt with _Sirius Black_," Sam scoffed.

Lily shrugged.

* * *

Sam sat on the worn, yet strangely comfortable couch in front of the fire in the Gryffindor Common Room. It was seven, and already James Potter was holding one of his now-widely-known "Induction Ceremonies" out of his dormitory. He would call up one hopeful contestent that had tried out for the team, then tell them their fate.

Sam had already begun watching those poor souls descending the stairs. So far, all had looked dejected. She knew only three would come down the stairs feeling any type of joy in their hearts. She sighed loudly and looked back at her paper.

She was drawing again. Ever since she was small, Sam had loved to draw people. Now that she was seventeen, she was admittedly rather good at it, and often received compliments from students. She was now working on a random sketch of Lily, who was lying by the fire working on homework. Sam pressed to hard with her pencil, and the tip broke off.

"Dammit!" she swore, and some of the the first years jumped, "'Scuse me," she said, leering at them so that they moved back to some of the darker and colder areas. She took out her wand and twirled it about the pencil so that it sharpened it back to a point. This was one of the first wand tricks that she had ever learned, and she used it all the time. The shreddings of the pencil fell down onto her lap in twirling streamers.

"Are you done yet?" asked Lily, who was actually quite fond of being a model for Sam's pictures.

"No," she responded irritably. When Sam was twelve, she had discovered that drawing was one of the only ways for her to rid stress from her body. She was drawing rather frantically now, as she was extremely nervous about James' verdict.

"You, know, Sam," Lily started, sitting up.

"Bloody Hell, Lily, you moved!" Sam threw her arms up in desperation.

"Sorry. But I was saying, it doesn't matter if you make it or not,"

"You're coming up with me, right?" asked Sam again.

"Yes," emphasized Lily. Sam was eternally grateful for this one show of solidarity from Lily.

"Thank you," Sam sighed and her pencil broke again, "Sweet Jesus, Mary Mother of God, Saint Francis of Assisi, Saint Joseph in Heaven, Saint Bernadette," she exclaimed, employing any holy names that came to mind. She felt herself rambling towards Russian, and let her mind go, "Почему все всегда происходит со мной? Черт побери!" she yelled, and this time, everyone jumped.

"Uh, Tchaikovsky?"

She looked up to see Sirius Black holding a clip board and staring at her with a mix of looks on his face which included a giant grin.

"Not a word, Black," Sam warned as she rose and climbed the boy's staircase with Lily right behind her. Sirius held the door open for them at the top.

"Or what? You'll cuss me out in Russian?" he pretended to cower behind his clip board.

"That's cute," sneered Sam as she entered the dormitory.

"Anastasia of Russia," he announced, bowing low and closing the door behind them. The boy's dormitory was much like the girls: circular with a rug in the center, but only four beds, each with a table. Remus Lupin and Peter Pettigrew were working diligently on homework, while James was sprawled out across his bed, holding a small object that Sam recognised as a stolen snitch.

As the door closed, a very strange series of events occured in rather rapid succession: the wind from the door blew a particularly strong gust of Sirius' cologne towards Sam who, already feeling irritable, exclaimed, "Sirius, lay off that bloody cologne, would you?" in a rather rude tone. Of course, this caused everyone present to stare at Sam, who at that moment had a curl of pencil shavings from her clothes falling to the floor.

"What is that?" asked Remus Lupin, looking at the twirl of thin wood.

"Pencil," offered Lily, "Sam always has those on her, she draws quite often."

The same gust blew the scent of orange blossoms, citrus and vanilla off of Lily towards Peter, for he was next to ask, "What smells like orange and vanilla?"

"That's Lily," Sam said, "that's her shampoo."

And, of course, at that moment, James had also been reaching into his pocket and had pulled out a pack of blue mint chewing gum. He was just unwrapping a piece when everyone in the room stopped with a moment of realisation.

Lily looked to Sirius, the bottle of cologne on his table, then to Sam.

Sam looked from James, to the chewing gum, to Lily.

James looked from Sam, to the pencil shaving, to Sirius.

Sirius looked from Lily, then to James, which wasn't saying much as everyone was well aware that James loved Lily.

No one moved, as if they all feared they would give someone else away if they did. Only eyeballs moved as everyone followed the paths of the people and their incriminating objects.

"Well," James broke the silence, and everyone jumped, "You're on the team, Tchaikovsky. Starting chaser on the right outside. You might switch into middle every now and then. Practises are on Mondays, Thursdays and Fridays."

Sam nodded.

"Thanks then, er, Captain."

Everyone in the room nodded at no one in particular, and Sam had the stray thought that never before had she been part of a moment as awkward as this.

She turned and moved out of the door, Lily following behind her. They didn't stop walking until they were behind the closed door of their own dormitory.

"I told you that was the chewing gum!" Sam exploded, "You love James Potter!" she pointed at Lily.

"Oh, ho, let's not talk about me!" responded Lily, looking just as excited, "You're _attracted to_ Sirius Black!" she laughed triumphantly. She dissolved in giggles, falling back onto her bed. She sat up abruptly, straight faced, "and he likes you back!" she gasped.

"Are we going to ignore the fact that I made the team?" asked Sam, rather dejectedly.

"Yes," emphasized Lily, "for now, anyway."

"You know what, I refuse to speak of Sirius Black," Sam spat, "He's...he's not for me. However, you and James Potter...that seems to be a different story. You want to snog his face off."

Lily blushed crimson.

"You know, Sam, I'm seing how a truce could come of this."

"You're right," Sam caught on, "I will never speak to you of the secret love that you harbor for James Potter..."

"...If I never mention the secret desire that you harbor for Sirius Black?"

"It's not a desire..." protested Sam.

"And mine isn't a love."

"Fine, we both agree not to mention the secret, yet exceptionally minimal atrraction that we harbor towards those boys, who will, in the spirit of the truce, remain anonymous?"

"Well stated," Lily nodded in approval.

"Agreed," they said together. Each breathed a sigh, but still looked at the other in a scrutinizing manner.

"How about we start tomorrow?" Sam offered.

"Again, agreed," said Lily immediately, flopping onto her stomach. Sam crawled onto her own bed and turned to face Lily. Lily grabbed a carton of Every Flavor Beans, while Sam chose four packets of chocolate frogs for their discussion.

"You like his _cologne?"_ Lily began the conversing, "I would have never guessed. That's what you always complain about."

"That's why I complain about it. So you wouldn't guess," Sam said pointedly.

"So how long has this been going on?"

"Well," Sam chewed a bean. It was coffee flavor, "I've always thought he was cute. Obviously this year he's more, well, _delicious_."

They both laughed at the general wickedness of the conversation.

"But, I don't know, I don't think he's the kind of person that could ever just be with one person for any amount of time." She reached for a similar-looking bean and ate it. It was dirt.

* * *

"Samantha Tchaikovsky?" James' voice was a whisper as the girls had just now left the premise.

Sirius looked at him.

"Oh, drop it, Prongsie,"

"No way! I heard you that day in potions with your love of 'bacon' but I didn't no it was _Sam!"_

"She doesn't smell like bacon," Sirius defended her.

"Oh, of course she doesn't Padfoot. She smells like 'pencil shavings' right?"

"It's because she draws so bloody much!" said Sirius, now sitting on his bed.

"That's interesting, Padfoot," said Lupin from his own bed. It was a mistake. Sirius threw the nearest thing to him at Moony's head. The lamp hit the headboard and broke.

"Why don't you ask her out?" asked James, looking unimpressed.

"Why don't you ask Evans out?"

"I do," said James, raising his eyebrows, "every damn day."


	8. Plots and Plans

_Still don't own any characters that you recognise--except Samantha Tchaikovsky, you might start recognising her now._

* * *

_A note on the chapter: Hey all, you came back! Yay! Well, this one's a bit shorter after those last two...phew, I'm still a wee bit tired. Alright, so this is just kind of developing the story a bit. The next chapter is chock full of goodness. So get through this one! I believe in you!_

_Also, I would like to say that I often mix between the British and American spellings of words. I apologise/apologize. I read a lot of British books, and therefore the spellings are in my head that way, but I live in the US, so there's a bit of a clash there._

_Love Always,_

_Fae_

**Plots and Plans**

It was the first week of November. All students were wearing cloaks nearly all the time, as the classrooms became quite drafty in the winter time. That Friday at dinner, Lily was reminded by a small first year running errands that she was to meet Potter for a Head's Meeting in the Great Hall, that evening at nine.

"That's late," Sam noted, reading over Lily's shoulder, "Very cute. I bet it will be empty, free of any witnesses..."

"Sam," Lily warned her of intruding on their truce, which was still being honored, no matter how sketchily. Each had toed the line quite often whenever the opportunity presented itself.

"Sorry," said Sam quickly.

"'S okay," Lily sighed, "I'm getting kind of tired of the truce, to tell the truth."

"What other option do we have?" Sam said, looking alarmed at any alternative.

Again, Lily sighed.

"I don't want to see him," she said, finally.

"Why not?"

"Because it's Potter," she said, reverting to her original description of James.

"Ah, well, some have been known to tame the beast," Sam said in a heroic voice as they excused themselves from dinner, "I heard that one brave soul actually called him _James_ just to get an answer out of him."

Lily took a moment to give her friend a very pointed dirty look.

"Sorry," Sam chuckled.

* * *

That evening at five to nine, Lily took the portrait hole down to the Great Hall. It was dark and the halls were abandoned. She had her wand stowed in her pocket, her Head Girl badge pinned to her robes, in case any teacher on patrol should apprehend her. She pushed open the door to the Great Hall. Potter wasn't there yet, and she took in the scene by herself.

The candles that were suspended above the tables by magic were dimmed, and all of the tables had been pushed up against the wall except for one, which had been left at the center of the hall. Lily approached it, marveling at how her padded footsteps echoed off the walls, though the voices at meal times never seemed to travel farther than to the next chair down. The sky--or the ceiling rather--was very clear, with stars shining in the millions, some in small clouds, others blinking brightly on their own.

"Pretty, huh?" asked a voice in her ear.

She didn't want to jump, but she did involuntarily. James Potter was standing right behind her, and when she turned to look at him, he was looking harmlessly up at the sky.

"Yes," agreed Lily, taking one final look before sitting down at one of the two chairs that had been left at the table. The only other items present were a note in Dumbledore's hand and a little golden bell:

_If either of you would desire some refreshments, you only have to ring this bell. A House Elf will be out to take your order, shortly._

_A. Dumbledore_

"Do you want anything?" asked James, finishing the note and looking at her. Lily shook her head, "Me neither," said James instantly, and she couldn't help wondering if her answer had been different, what his would have been.

"So..." Lily paused.

"I believe he mentioned something about a Christmas Ball?" said James, and Lily was admittedly shocked when he unfolded a piece of parchment on which he had been apparently brain-storming, "These are some of the ideas that I had, I don't know what you thought of,"

"Um, well, nothing really," said Lily, and she instantly saw him beginning to smile. She snatched the list and read off of the list. There were some that had been crossed off, but she could still read what they had said, such as: outdoor dance and Forbidden Forest. Others had remained on the list, but were equally ridiculous: Magical Creature Caroling Contest, or Broom-stick dance.

"Well?"

"I'm curious, Potter, for your broomstick dance are you planning on having people flying around?" she smiled at the thought.

"Well, that was the original idea," said Potter, and Lily actually saw him blush, and she couldn't keep the thought out of her head that this action on him was quite endearing, "but it was stupid. Did I forget to cross that out?"

"You must have," she said, continuing down the list, "And what, pray tell, was the Magical Creature Caroling contest?"

"I was thinking," he said, looking exceptionally enthusiastic, "that we could split into teams, right?  
And we'd each bring some kind of creature, like a troll or a centaur or a house elf or something and have a caroling contest with the other teams."

Lily looked at him, then, broke down into an immense fit of giggles. He looked at her, then began laughing too. She clutched her side as it hurt from laughing too hard.

"Who's--going--too--let--a--troll--in--the--building?" she gasped between giggles, "Can you imagine?"

"He would be a great kind of bass singer," said James, laughing equally as much. At this suggestion, Lily gave a little cry of laughter, which hurt her side even more, and she gasped in pain. It was all too funny though, and she couldn't stop laughing.

"Were you actually going to have us go dancing outside, in the Forbidden Foerst?" she asked when she finally caught her breath again.

"Until I realised that it would be December, and therefore rather cold, yes," he said, looking defensive. She had to bite her lip from laughing again.

"I like this," she added, coming to the choice that said 'Costume Ball.'

"Do you?" James asked, looking amused, "Moony came up with that one."

"It's quite good. Of course, there are the flaws. People would come in ridiculous costumes and ruin the whole thing..."

"But we could just station some of our Prefects at the door to ensure that doesn't happen."

"True," Lily thought for a moment, "You know, a good, old-fashioned ball never goes out of style. With everyone in..." she was about to say dress robes, but something had made her think of Cinderella, with the Muggle balls and dresses and white shirts with ties and black jackets.

"In...?" James prompted.

"What if we did a ball in Muggle clothes?" suggested Lily, "Instead of dress robes."

"Don't Muggle blokes wear, what are they called, Tuxemos to fancy events?"

"Tuxedoes," corrected Lily, smiling, "The men wear tuxedoes and the women wear dresses."

James seemed to think on it for a moment.

"I think it would be good," he said finally, "It would get us out of dress robes, which I know not many people like, and Dumbledore would like it because it gets us interacting with, or rather experiencing the Muggle 'culture'." He looked at her quickly, as if he realised that he may have insulted her, seeing as she came from a Muggle family.

Lily was quiet. James Potter had just made not one, but a series of comments that not only made sense, but were also mature and based on reason. Maybe, she thought, maybe he wasn't the same boy that had teased her on their first day at Hogwarts. Of course he wasn't, she chided herself, he was older, and he was more considerate and, she thought looking at him, he wasn't even bad looking.

"I'd like to see you in a tuxedo, James,"

Dammit, she had called him James again. She found with slight horror that she hadn't even meant to, that it just seemed like what she should call him. He looked over at her, met her gaze, and this time she saw something in his hazel eyes--his beautiful hazel eyes--that made her hold his gaze.

"I'd like to see you in a dress," he was leaning in towards her, and she found that she was returning the gesture, "Lily," he added, and he kissed her.

It was absolutely the most wonderful moment Lily had experienced. His lips were warm and soft against hers, it felt as if she could kiss him forever...

* * *

James Potter was fairly sure that he had died.

And some how, he had made it to Heaven.

Because he was kissing Lily Evans. On the mouth. And he was pretty sure she was kissing him back.

He couldn't think of any possible way that this could get any better. Carefully, he moved his arm to put his hand in her hair.

With a little gasp, Lily pulled away, looking at him in shock. Her face was very red, which was so sweet that James had no other thought in his head than to kiss her again. But it didn't look as if she was ready for that. He realised that his hand was suspended in midair, and he drew it back quickly.

"I'm sorry, James," she said, standing up. That was the third time she had called him James. His name had never sounded better than when it came from her lips.

"Lily," he stood up, too, "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have kissed you,"

She looked at him in a pained way. It looked as if she was deciding between two equally-appealing choices. He had seen her make this face all the time during their exams at the end of term. He liked watching her when she took tests because he could almost see her thinking. He wished he knew what she was thinking now. Suddenly it seemed as if she had made up her mind.

"No, you shouldn't have," she said.

Her words were like a curse, hitting him in the chest so that the wind was nearly knocked from his lungs. What did she mean, he shouldn't have? He was fairly sure that she had been enjoying kissing him, even if it wasn't close to how much he enjoyed kissing her.

"You were kissing me back," he said in a quiet voice. Her face took on a look of hurt and he wished he hadn't said anything at all.

"Potter,"

So he was back to Potter--again.

"I don't like you, and I'm sorry I let you kiss me."

Her words had a sense of finality to them and she turned to leave.

"Lily--Evans!" he caught up with her easily, "I'm sorry, just forget it, okay?" All he could hear in his ears was her voice saying 'I don't like you' over and over.

She looked at him sideways, as if testing the truthfulness in his words. She must have decided that he was telling the truth because she slowed her gait considerably, so it wasn't so much that she was trying to get away as just walk. He breathed a sigh of relief.

"It was--it was silly," she said, "I shouldn't have let you do that." she added.

"I'm glad you did," he said, smiling as he thought of her face after she broke away. She looked at him again, this time rather guiltily, but smiled nonetheless.

"We'll tell Dumbledore about our Muggle idea tomorrow?" she suggested.

"That would be good," he nodded in approval, putting his hands in his pockets as they crossed the hall to the portrait hole. Lilly nodded her own head, and her long red hair bounced up and down.

"Quidditch," she said to the Fat Lady, who nodded and swung forward.

"Hey, speaking of, are you going to come to our first match tomorrow? It's versus Ravenclaw, so it should be a good game. Tchaikovsky's big debut, anyway."

"Of course I'll be there," she said. There was no one in the common room, and they both stood there a moment, looking everywhere--anywhere--but at the other. She sort of nodded to no one in particular, then turned and started up the stairs to her dormitory.

"Good night Lily," he said finally, right before she entered her room. He saw her pause. Saw her turn around and look at him. There was something shining in her big green eyes, and though he had never paid very much attention to emotions before, he was pretty sure that it wasn't the look that you gave someone that you didn't like.

"Good night James," she said.

James watched the spot where she had been standing until well after she was gone. She had turned him down so many times, but why was this one night so difficult for him to accept? And when she had said good night, something in her voice had made him feel something deep inside, as if everything she had said earlier was a lie. He sighed and traipsed up the stairs to his own dormitory.

Girls could be confusing, but Lily Evans always kept him coming back, even if it was for nothing more than being denied. Not surprisingly, the room was illuminated, and all the other Marauders were still awake.

"Well?" Moony asked as James sat down and took off his shoes.

"How did it go?" demanded Sirius.

"I kissed her," James said dully, removing his glasses and rubbing his eyes.

"And?"

"It was wonderful, as expected," he maintained his monotone, "But she pulled out again."

"Well, she's just becoming accostomed to the Prongs Experience," said Sirius confidently, and James broke a smile, hoping that his friend was right.

"How did the sensitive talk go?" asked Moony, who had instructed James all through his classes on ways to speak more maturely. James hadn't bought it at first, but Remus insisted that girls loved it when boys spoke with intelligence and sensitivity. It had sounded like a load of bull, but James had to hand it to Moony: it had worked.

"She loved it," James said, "that was how we kissed anyway."

"Ah, so you both kissed... together?" asked Sirius, "That's a step forward!" he said encouragingly, "First, you kissed her, then you both kind of kissed each other. Before you know it, Prongs, she'll be snogging you."

James smiled indulgently, but Moony looked skeptical.

"Let's hope Lily sees it that way," he said, and as James turned out his light, he couldn't help wishing that he was right.

* * *

"Good night, James,"

Sam heard Lily's voice outside, and sat up to listen to the conversation. Lily opened the door and stepped inside. She didn't spot Sam, and made the classic girl-in-love move by closing the door and leaning up against it. She closed her eyes.

"Back to James, are we?" Sam asked, looking at her. Lily jumped and caught her eye.

"I guess," she said, and Sam saw there was some sort of pain in her eyes.

"What happened?" Sam sighed.

"We talked about ideas for the Christmas dance,"

"And that made you look like you're about to cry?" Sam said skeptically.

"No," Lily grumbled, changing into her pajamas, "And we decided we could do a ball except instead of dress robes, we'd wear Muggle clothes, you know, like tuxedos and gowns and whatever, and then I said 'I'd like to see you in a tuxedo, James,' and he said, 'I'd like to see you in a dress, Lily,' and then--" she bit her lip.

"You kissed him?" Sam supposed.

"He kissed me," said Lily, climbing into her bed.

"Aw, Lily, that's so sweet," said Sam.

"No," groaned Lily, "I pulled away,"

"Again?" Sam asked, looking at her in shock, "Lily, you know you want to kiss him!"

"Ugh, don't remind me,"

"Why not? You're going to kiss him eventually,"

"No, I think I hurt his feelings," she said miserably.

"Lily, you've been turning him down for six years."

"Yes, Sam, but I told him that he shouldn't have kissed me and that I didn't like him back and that kissing him was silly, and..."

"But Lily!" Sam's voice raised to a whispering yell, "You don't feel that way! Why do you do this to yourself?"

Sam loved Lily like another sister, but sometimes she confused her beyond all hope of understanding.

"I don't know," Lily moaned, "And then I said--"

"And then you said 'Good night, James,'" Sam immitated her tone.

"Did I sound that way?" Lily wailed, looking at Sam beseechingly.

"Yes," Sam affirmed.

"Bloody hell," swore Lily, "I wouldn't give up on me either if I sounded like that,"

"Let's hope that James feels the same way."


	9. Gryffindor v Ravenclaw

_Still don't own any characters that you recognise--except Samantha Tchaikovsky, you might start recognising her now._

* * *

_A note on the chapter: He he, this is the longest so far. I hope you enjoy. I have mixed feelings on Quidditch chapters. You can see I tried one, and I will probably have two more, but I don't know. I'm no commentator, that's for sure. Sorry if it disappoints you. You may recognise two lines that resemble those from the movie "Holes." I thought it might make it funny. Great book, by the way, if you wanna read something fast and entertaining._

_Also, I would like to say that I often mix between the British and American spellings of words. I apologise/apologize. I read a lot of British books, and therefore the spellings are in my head that way, but I live in the US, so there's a bit of a clash there._

_Love Always,_

_Fae_

**Gryffindor v. Ravenclaw**

When Sam woke that morning, she didn't want to get out of bed.

"Sam?" Lily's voice invaded what she hoped to be her future sleep.

"What?" Sam grumbled, turning to her side. She wrenched her eyes open. Lily was bent down right next to her bed, her big green eyes in front of hers.

"The game starts in an hour," she reminded Sam.

"Argh!" Sam threw the blankets off of herself and swung her feet down onto the floor, "Thanks for coming to wake me up," she said resentfully, looking in the small mirror on her table.

"Here," said Lily, "I brought it up from breakfast," she handed her a piece of quiche.

"Thank you," Sam said, taking the pie and taking a bite.

"Are you nervous?" asked Lily.

"Yes," said Sam, looking at her sideways, "Usually, new players join their second or third or fourth years. Not their last one."

"It sounds like the makings of a book," laughed Lily, throwing Sam a pair of sweatpants.

"Have you seen James today?" asked Sam. She saw the answer in her face before she answered.

"No,"

"Why?"

"I didn't want to,"

"Ah, Lily, you're going to have to face that boy at one time or another."

"No I won't--"

"And when you do, you're going to kiss him back, like you've wanted to all these times," Sam smiled broadly as she made to replace her camisole with a t-shirt.

"Why is it, Tchaikovsky, that whenever I enter a room, you are undressed in some manner?" Sirius Black was at their door. Sam sighed and shoved the shirt over her head.

"It's because you're a creeper, who walks into people's rooms when they aren't decent."

"You're more than decent, Nutcracker," offered Sirius, looking amused. Lily caught Sam's eye and gave her a delighted look. Apparently she thought that this proved Sirius liked her. Sam was not convinced.

"What do you want?" she rolled her eyes as she pulled her hair up into a ponytail.

"Prongs sent me to get you. You have to get your uniform yet, and the team meets half and hour before the game starts."

"Thanks," Sam said begrudgingly, pulling on a pair of tennis shoes. She grabbed a red running jacket from her trunk, "I'll see you in a bit, Lils," she smiled at Lily.

"Alright, good luck!" said Lily as Sam exited by the stairs. She heard footsteps following her, and when she turned, Sirius was catching up with her.

"Yes?" she inquired as they exited into the hall.

"Prongs specifically instructed me to walk you down to the locker room, get you your uniform and observe you changing into them properly. Just kidding about the last part, but he really did want me to get you down there,"

"Alright," allowed Sam as they made it to the entrance hall. He moved in front of her and opened the door, "Thank you," she added as he held it for her. She couldn't help being impressed by the chivalrous action. He could see this and smiled.

"You like the knightly type, Chop Suey?"

Surprisingly, it was relatively nice to hear her old nickname, and she realised that she had missed this old kind of teasing.

"Yes, I'm still waiting for that guy in aluminum foil to show up knocking on my door," she told him.

"And what are you going to do with him?"

"The usual," she waved off the question, and Sirius laughed. It sounded wonderful in her ears.

"Jousting?" Sirius supposed.

"Oh, yes, I'm quite good with a sword."

"I'll bet," he said.

Silence fell between them as they approached the locker rooms. There were two, on either side of the main north entrance to the stadium. They entered the one that had been deemed 'Gryffindor' for this match. Inside there was a bathroom stall and a sink set apart behind another wall, the rest was devoted to benches and lockers. Sirius opened one and presented her with a set of red and gold Quidditch robes.

"I'll wait out here," he said as she entered the rest room. She stripped down and sifted through the garments.

"You know, Black," she called through the door, "It's strange having no clothes on and not having you storm through the door." As soon as she said it, she recognised how wrong it sounded, "I mean--"

He laughed, "I can remedy that, Tchaikovsky."

"No, never mind, pretend I didn't say anything," she pulled on the cream colored pants and heard him chuckling outside, "What's so bloody funny?" she demanded, pulling on the skin-tight red and gold shirt that went under the actual robes.

"Nothing," he said, "just that you're right. I always come in when you're not, well..."

"Wearing much?" she finished.

"Yeah. I must look pretty bad."

"No," she argued, "Just a bit... well... nothing you didn't make yourself out to be anyway," she opened the door and stepped out.

" I can't be sure that's a compliment."

"Yes, well," she covered up with her outer-most robes, the scarlet lined with gold felt warm but light on her shoulders, and she sat on the bench across from him. She stuck her feet into the boots and began to put on the leather gloves that reached all the way up to her elbows.

"Here," he offered, grabbing one of her legs and putting it on his lap. He began to lace up the ties on her boots.

"Thank you," she said, bending over at the waist to tie the other one. She felt his hands stop moving and looked up. He was staring at her, "What now?"

"You are _exceptionally_ flexible," he said.

"Um, thank you?" she considered her position, rather embarrassed that she had struck such a pose.

"Sorry," he said, and resumed his tying of her shoe. She shook her head and finished her other laces. He took a rather long time to finish the other, but she ignored it. Finally, he couldn't seem to take any longer with that particular one and tied the knot on the top.

"Bugger," she said, pouting, "now that one is tighter." She knew she was flirting--hard--but she found she couldn't stop. It was too much fun to have this attention from Sirius Black. He took the bait, grinning, and grabbed her other shoe.

"I'll bet I can fix that."

* * *

Lily took a spot in the stands nearly five minutes before the match was scheduled. She was dressed in a heavy red cloak, Muggle jeans, and a white shirt.

"Are you ready?" asked a voice behind her. She turned to see Remus Lupin and Peter Pettigrew taking the bleacher before her.

"I think so," she nodded, "where's Sirius?"

Remus nodded towards the teacher's beachers, where the commentary box was also. Just then, Sirius' voice washed over the stadium.

"Are we ready for the first match of the season?" he asked the entire stadium, and the entirety of Hogwarts, "Let's start it up!"

"Is Sam nervous?" asked Lupin.

Lily nodded, and he chuckled.

"I heard James tell Sirius to walk her down here," said Lupin.

"Yeah, he came into our dormitory,"

"If you ask me, they'll fix that soon," he commented.

"What do you mean?"

"Boys being allowed in the girls' dormitory, they'll fix that somehow."

"Hmm..."

"Here comes the Ravenclaw team," said Sirius, and the blue and bronze side of the field erupted in cheers and whistles, "that's captain and keeper Jason Davies, chasers Loretta Polo, Kale Jennings, and Rosie Irmish, beaters Ian and Jeffery Rollins, and finally seeker Melody Kearns."

Lily clapped, but she was one of the few Gryffindors who did. The two houses got on particularly well together, but Quidditch was exceptionally competitive and bred such competition between all houses.

"And the Gryffindors," the Gryffindor side exploded in a mass of applause and cheers, whistling and a few rather random screams. Lily even heard a roar from one of the rear bleachers, as the Gryffindor team took the field, "Captain, seeker and a personal mate of mine, James Potter--" Sirius had to pause his commentary for the cheering for James was so overwhelming, and even Lily let a few extra cheers loose.

James grinned and held up a hand to the crowd. He scanned the audience, but stopped to stare and Lily, who caught his gaze, even from the distance. He winked, and she felt herself beginning to smile. The red robes looked wonderful on him, with his black hair and muscular, athletic frame.

"Yes, yes, Potter's quite a fellow, but he couldn't play the beautiful game on his own. He is followed by beautiful chaser trio Veronica Moore, Jamie Yates, and Samantha Tchiakovsky, beater extravaganza Leon Cooper and Will Robinson, and finally their skilled keeper Jonathan Zimmerman."

Madame Hooch, a young witch with spiky, shorn blonde hair, took the field, dressed in billowing referee garb. She was just hired that year, after she retired from the Hollyhead Harpies. She had fierce, hawk-like eye that shone just as much as the whistle around her neck. All of the players mounted their brooms. Madame Hooch blew her wistle and threw the quaffle up into the air.

"The first possession is taken by Tchaikovsky,"--here Lily cheered--,"and she takes it towards Davies. Davies ready, Tchiakovsky to Moore, Moore shoots--scores! Ten-oh Gryffindor!"

Lily kept her eyes on Sam, who, after the whistle blew, seemed to relax considerably and enjoy playing. But sometimes, her eyes roved and found James, who was scanning the field sharply for any sign of the snitch. He looked very--impressive--atop his broom, Lily had to confess.

"Polo takes the quaffle down the field--intercepted by Yates! Yates takes it the other way. Yates to Tchaikovsky. Tchaikovsky down--oh! She has been hit by a bludger. Tchaikovsky takes a bludger in the arm. Looks to be her left, but the Quaffle is taken back by Polo. That bludger was from Ian Rollins, the younger of the Rollins' brothers. Tchaikovsky seems as if she will shake it off and stay in the game. Polo to Irmish, back to Jennings. Jennings has a shot, he'll take it and he will score. Ten-ten."

There was a loud round of boos for Ian Rollins as he flew pas the Gryffindor side of the field. Even from a distance, Lily could tell that Sam's arm had been rather badly injured, but she was refusing to come out of her starting game.

"Zimmerman throws it out to Moore, the veteran chaser of the team. Moore takes it down the field, dodges a bludger from Rollins, then Rollins himself, passes to Yates, Yates hands it off to Tchaikovsky who dodges the bludger this time, but is faced by Irmish. Tchaikovsky shoots, Davies will have this one--no! A curve ball from Tchaikovsky scores. Twenty-ten Gryffindor!"

The game continued closely until, at the score of sixty-forty Gryffindor, Lily saw James spurt off towards one of the bases of the Ravenclaw posts.

"It would appear Potter has seen something! Kearns is following, but Potter is leading her by a good three broom-lengths."

Melody Kearns, a rather large third year, was following helplessly behind James as he weaved amongst the players, chasing a small gold speck. With a final burst of speed, he reached out and grabbed the snitch in his gloved hand. Madame Hooch's whistle blew.

"That's match. Potter gets the snitch. Twenty points scored by Moore, thirty by Tchaikovsky, and ten by Yates for a total of two hundred and ten points. For Ravenclaw, thirty points by Polo, ten by Jennings."

The stands emptied in a flood, but Lupin grabbed Lily's robes.

"We'll go to the locker room," he said in her ear as they sifted through the crowd. They crossed the pitch and went out the back exit, around the entire stadium to the locker rooms. Lily caught sight of Sam heading into the door.

"Sam!" she yelled and she stopped. Sam saw her and walked to her.

"Whatcha think?" she asked, looking buoyant with excitement.

"That was amazing!" said Lily, "You scored the most on your team,"

"No, that was James. And he might like to hear that comment from you though," Sam suggested in such a kind way that Lily knew she should do it. She shrugged then disappeared into the locker room.

"James!" Lily shouted, and James' head snapped up immediately. She approached him as he held the door open for the rest of his team.

"Hey Evans,"

She was rather disappointed. Last night he had called her Lily. Today it was Evans. Maybe he really wasn't going to forgive her.

"I wanted to congratualte you on a wonderful game, captain," she said, then took a breath, "I enjoyed watching you play."

She looked up at him and knew instantly that she had said the right thing. He was fairly glowing with pride. His smile was infectious, and Lily felt a certain amount of delight at being the one to have brought this look of happiness to his face.

"Thanks, Lily, I'm glad you showed up."

"Yeah, me too," she was not sure what made her do this, but she reached up and gave him a hug. When she looked over his shoulder, she saw Sam in the common room, talking avidly--and cheerily, even, could it be? flirtily--with Sirius. When Sam looked up and saw her, she gave her a thumbs up.

* * *

"Lily!" Sam called into the dormitory bathroom, "it starts in fifteen minutes." she added, sighing as she flipped over onto her back to look at the ceiling.

The November edition of the Slug Club was being held this evening. It was a bit off-schedule, but Professor Slughorn had told them last time that there would be no meeting in December because of "a large-scale celebration" that was already planned.

"How'd you get ready so fast?" asked Lily, appearing from the depths of the bathroom in a purple, sequined top with one shoulder strap that not only complimented her eyes, but her hair, which had been curled into loose. She had on dark blue jeans and brown boots, which increased her height by three inches.

"I don't look hardly as nice as you," said Sam, standing and walking out of the door behind her friend.

"Sam, that's ridiculous, you look wondeful. Except for that bruise..." Lily trailed off.

She had chosen a light, nearly skin-tone lacy blouse to wear over a pair of straight-legged jeans. The sleeves only covered her shoulders, and the big bruise that she had received from Rollins was as black as the bludger itself. She had also worn heels, but hers were the same shade as her shirt, with stilhetto heels that were so sharp, she swore she could use them in close combat situations. Her hair was straight and sleek in a ponytail that sat at the crown of her head.

"Let's go," she said, moving towards the portrait hole, "I'm hungry."

They had both skipped dinner and opted for the more elegant fares which Professor Slughorn usually served at his bashes.

"You walk too fast," Lily said as Sam started off down the hall, "You must really be hungry,"

"Sorry,"

"For another sighting of Sirius Black that is," added Lily in a scandalized whisper.

"Oh Lily, I wasn't the one hugging someone that I had just kissed the night before."

"You make it sound like it was so much. I saw you two today. I don't think I have ever seen you flirt before," said Lily, "It was entertaining."

"That was hardly flirting," argued Sam as they approached the classroom that Slughorn had used, "I've never flirted with anyone in my life. If I did, I think that poor man would die of lust right there on the spot."

Lily's eyes opened wide, "Why, Miss Tchaikovsky! Am I to infer that after all of these years of non- flirting, your flirting skills have been sharpened to death-bringing points?"

"Like pencils," said Sam in a poor simile, "What about you, Little Miss "Oh, James, will you tell me a secret? And will you kiss me? And hug me? Pretty Please?""

"That wasn't flirting either," said Lily in the same tone.

"Alright, here's the deal," said Sam, pausing before entering the room, "We stick together and find two boys. And we try our flirting skills on them. As in all-out-flirtatious."

"To what end?" asked Lily, crossing her arms.

"To be decided," said Sam, opening the door.

The inside had been transformed into something that Lily thought resembled a Muggle night club. There were strobe lights, which of course were not electric, but magic, and therefore ten times better than the Muggle invention. The lights were a throbbing set of red, green, blue and yellow, each of the house colors. There was shaggy carpet on the floors, and numerous tall, circular tables, all with tall stools surrounding them, and first year caterers running giant trays of delicacies about.

"Hey, Tchaikovsky?" Sam heard a foreign voice behind her and turned to see Ian and Jeffery Rollins behind them, "Oh, sorry," Ian said as Sam turned to face them, "Thought you were someone--"

"What do you want, Rollins?" asked Sam. She caught Lily's eye and with an especially horrific realisation, she saw Lily nod as if these two were with whom they would be flirting. Lily looked slightly sick at the prospect as well: Ian Rollins was a third year, his brother in the fifth year, both had thin brown hair and small beady eyes, rather pudgy, short, if not stocky builds. Sam nodded discreetly and swallowed hard.

"Oh, it is you, Tchaikovsky."

"Yes," said Sam demurely, "This is my friend, Lily Evans. She is Head Girl,"

"I'm Lily Evans," repeated Lily, "I am Head Girl," she sidled up with Jeffery, leaving Sam to Ian, who was probably a good eight inches shorter than she. It was a testament to the brothers' stupidity that neither of them noted that Lily had just repeated Sam's words, "You're very muscualr," Lily purred to Jeffery, who was only five inches shorter than herself. She put a hand on his shapeless arms.

"Thanks," Jeffery choked on what he was drinking.

"I wanted to apologise for hitting you with that Bludger," said Ian.

"That's Quidditch, isn't it?" asked Sam, "And don't worry. I quite enjoyed it. It was a beautiful strike by you," she smiled shyly at him, "You're a wonderful Quidditch player."

"What about your bruise?" he asked, looking at her arm.

"Yes, well, um I quite enjoy that, too?"

Lily choked down a laugh, but Sam remained straight faced.

"Hey," said another voice. Sam turned and saw Sirius Black and James Potter approaching them. Sam had never thought their either boy had been better looking: both had on jeans and James had a black dress shirt, while Sirius had a grey one.

"Shove off, Rollins," suggested Sirius to Ian, who looked as if he might die from fright, "You're not tall enough to ride that ride."

Sam's jaw dropped at the innuendo. Neither boy needed any more instruction though, both turned and disappeared into the crowd.

"I'll take a thank you when you're ready Tchaikovsky," said Sirius to her.

"Fat chance. What the hell?"

"You're not going to tell me that you _wanted _to talk to _that_?" said Black, his face falling.

"No, but..."

"I saved you," said Sirius, "I'm a bloody knight as far as I'm concerned. Look what he did to your arm!" he said, staring at the black mark, "He's a git. Knight, git, knight, git," he said, pointing to him, then at Rollins repeatedly.

"Hardly," said Sam, feeling mixed emotions at his comment. She was very angry at being referred to as a type of ride, but at the same time, it was fairly satisfying to have Sirius save her from Ian. She would have never admitted the last bit to him though. He must have felt that he had gained some ground with her since their talk that morning. Well, Sirius Black had another think coming, she thought, glaring at him.

"Would you ladies like to sit?" James asked, and they approached one of the tall tables.

"Where are Remus and Peter?" asked Lily, noting the absence of the other Marauders.

"Peter didn't come," said Sirius, "And Moony," he nodded to the center of the room where Lupin was talking with Jamie Yates, who was looking exceptionally pretty in a flowing blue tank top and white, wide-legged pants. Lupin seemed to sense that they were speaking about him and looked up. When he saw that they were in thecompany of Sam and Lily, he grinned and took Jamie's arm.

"Jamie, you know Samantha Tchaikovsky and this is Lily Evans,"

"Head Girl," said Jamie, shaking Lily's hand. She and Samantha shared a smile.

"How about that game?" asked Lily as Remus brought two extra stools to their table.

* * *

"How about that game?" Lily asked, looking across the table at James. He couldn't keep his eyes off of her. She had on some sort of sexy purple top that only crossed one shoulder. The other side was hanging low off of her body. Her hair was a beautiful mass of red curls, and her eyes seemed even greener than was normal. She was a veritable goddess.

He wondered briefly what she--or Sam for that matter--had been doing with the Rollins brothers. From a distance, it even looked as if they were flirting with those brainless gits. There had been some sort of horrible feeling in his chest as James had looked at her standing with Jeffery Rollins, as if he wanted to beat him with his own beater's bat.

"Hopefully the first win of many," said Moony, looking over at Jamie Yates, the sixth year Chaser for the Gryffindor team. They had spotted her at the beginning of the evening, and had set Moony on her. He had done an impeccable job. Then again, Moony always knew how to tell a girl what she wanted to hear. Jamie kept looking at him.

"Your goal was brilliant," complimented Sam.

"Thanks," said Jamie, "It wasn't as good as yours though. You had three," she added.

"I won't be able to use that curve ball for long, now that everyone's seen it and is expecting it," noted Sam.

"We'll talk about that at practise," promised James, "but it was a very good game, ladies."

From next to him, Lily gave a small sound, that she covered into a cough. She shared some sort of look with Samantha, who was looking exceptionally innocent across the table. Lily turned to James,

"Well, you scored the most," she said in a proud voice that made him feel light and airy inside.

"Indeed," said Sam, looking at her happily. Lily glared back, and James couldn't help thinking that girls were exceptionally crazy.

"It only takes one moment of brilliance," commented Sirius. He himself kept staring at Samantha, who was looking rather pretty as well. Samantha however, was pointedly ignoring him, as she was quite upset at Sirius calling her a 'ride'. It was funny, but James could have seen how Sam found it a wee bit degrading.

"Oi," James hailed one of Slughorn's smallest waiters, "We'll take six butterbeers,"

The small boy nodded and set six of the brown glass bottles down on the table. James passed them around so that each person had one. He opened his and raised it, "To a Quidditch Cup, eh?" he said, grinning, "I can see it now,"

"Cheers," said Lily, clinking his bottle.

"Cheers," echoed everyone else. They all drank. Six bottles hit the table as they set them down.

"Hufflepuff next?" said Sam, "Saving the best for last," she spoke of their match versus Slytherin.

"Or worst," said Sirius, looking at her. She ignored him.

"I liked how we looked" Jamie commented, "Zimmerman was a bit twitchy in goal, though."

"He was nervous, we all were," said Sam.

"It was the first game," said James, "After a few more practises, I think we're going to be excellent."

"I'll drink to that," said Sam, taking another swig. Jamie stood up.

"I'm sorry, I have to head back. The sixth years have a transfig test tomorrow, I wanted some extra sleep,"

"Let me walk you back," offered Moony, standing next to her, the unfailing gentleman. Jamie smiled her thanks. This is what she had been aiming for. James winked at Moony, who grinned. He couldn't help thinking that his friend looked a bit like a wolf. Ah, the irony was overwhelming.

"Nice to meet you, Lily," said Jamie, "Samantha, Sirius, James, thanks,"

"See you all later," said Moony, putting a hand on Jamie's back as they walked out.

"I've got three that he snogs her outside the door," Sirius said as soon as they were out of earshot.

"I'll match that _she_ snogs _him_," said James.

"Do you bet on every bloody thing?" asked Sam, peering at them.

"Pretty much," Sirius said, "You wanna add anything, Tchaikovsky?"

"No, but James is gonna win. She's going to snog him," she added matter-of-factly. It was the most she had said to Sirius. James knew--and he was fairly sure Sam knew as well--that she was torturing Sirius.

"How can you tell?"

"Did you see how she initiated him walking her back? It was so she could get him," Sam said. Beside James, Lily nodded.

"She's right," Lily agreed.

"One of you could have told me that," said Sirius dejectedly, "I'm on a losing streak."

"Sorry, Black," said Sam without looking sorry at all, "You know, people say gambling is a sin."

"I'm already going to Hell, Tchaikovsky," said Sirius.

"Hmm, what a pity," she said nastily.

"We should get going too," cut in Lily. Sam nodded and they both stood.

"If we offer to walk you back to the dormitory, are you going to assault us on the way back?" asked James, looking at each of them cautiously.

"That's a chance you're going to have to take," said Lily, and to James delight he saw that she was flirting with him, "Either way, we'll see you both later."

"I hate to see them go," said Sirius, watching their figures move through the crowd.

"But love to watch them leave," said James, watching them.

"What do you reckon, Prongs?" asked Sirius, looking at him.

"What the hell," said James, moving to follow them. Sirius was right behind him and they caught up with the girls at the door.

"Tchaikovsky, I'm sorry," Sirius said in what he clearly thought would pass as a humble tone. Sam glowered at him.

"I suppose you fancy yourself 'tall enough to ride this ride'?" She demanded. It was a losing question, and James actually felt some pity for Sirius. He couldd't remember the last time that he had been stumped by a question that a girl had asked him.

"Well, yes, I do, actually," said Sirius, looking pleased. James felt pity again, but this time it was for Sirius' stupidity.

"If you're going to Hell, Black, do it quickly," said Sam.

James looked at Lily, trying to ignore their two bickering friends.

"Can I walk you back, properly?" he asked. He stuck his arm out. She looked at him a long time, as if trying to decide upon another problem. He couldn't help remembering how the last, similar scenario had turned out. He was actually about to take the offer back when she reached out and grabbed it.

"Thank you, kind sir," she said neatly as they started up the hall. James had kissed her --twice--but the hug that she had given him earlier, even this minimal contact now, seemed just as nice. He realised that this was because Lily had endorsed both actions, even initiated them .He couldn't help imagining what it would be like if she were to ever sanction the kissing.

"Hmm, looks like he kissed her," said Lily, looking into an empty classroom. Remus had Jamie up against the wall, snogging her. She, ofcourse, was snogging him right back, her hands in his hair, his on her waist.

"We don't know how it started," said James, "We'll ask him later." Sirius gave a wolf-whistle, and the two broke apart, looking at the door. Moony glared at them, while Jamie blushed. Moony waved his wand and the classroom door closed with a resounding band.

"You are so bloody immature," said Sam.

"You love me, Tchaikovsky, just admit it."

"I most certainly do _not_ love you," she countered, and James saw Sirius' face fall. He was reasonably sure that Sirius liked Sam a lot. It was a right shame that he couldn't show it properly. They had reached the portrait hole, otherwise known as the place where all good things came to an end.

They stepped inside the common room. Sirius and Sam looked at each other once, then turned with identical huffs and went to thier respective dormitories. It was actually quite humorous when watched. Lily even laughed a bit.

"I had better go see her," said Lily, looking almost disappointed that she had to leave.

"Yeah," he sighed, letting go of her arm.

"Then again, she can take care of herself," said Lily, and for a moment, James was positive that she was going to kiss him. This was one of those defining moments that Moony had gone on about. He had to say the right thing here. And it wasn't what he wanted to say.

"No, you should go check on her."

Lily looked at him.

"You're right," she said, "Thanks,"

"Sure," he said, forcing a smile. Moony had suggested this, and who was the one snogging a girl in an empty classroom? Surely he had to be correct.

"I'll see you tomorrow," said Lily, climbing the stairs.

"Hey Lily?" James blurted.

"Yeah?" Lily turned around, almost looking hopeful.

"You look really pretty," he said.

She flushed.

"You don't look so bad yourself."

"Ddo you think you'd want to come up to our dormitory tomorrow and work on some homework?" James invited her, feeling especially emboldened from her compliment, "I could use some help on my Charms paper."

True, it was an outright lie, he needed no help at all, but the thought of Lily Evans in his dormitory was...tempting to say the least.

"Sure," she looked exceptionally happy.

"Good," he ran his hands through his hair, "I'll see you then."

"Yeah, okay,"

She disappeared behind the door.


	10. In the Dormitory

_Still don't own any characters that you recognise--except Samantha Tchaikovsky, you might start recognising her now._

* * *

_A note on the chapter: Average length, but I find this chapter wonderfully entertaining. I hope you do as well! Please drop a review either way! Also, I kind of have a story line, but if there are any suggestions, for future chapters, please drop them in my maily box too! I can finally get reviews (I'm so smart) so I'll be able to read them! Huzzah!_

_Also, I would like to say that I often mix between the British and American spellings of words. I apologise/apologize. I read a lot of British books, and therefore the spellings are in my head that way, but I live in the US, so there's a bit of a clash there._

_Love Always,_

_Fae_

**In the Dormitory**

Lily found herself not being able to wait for the day to be over. She kept making up excuses, she couldn't wait for Muggle Studies, no, she couldn't wait for Potions, no she couldn't wait for DADA, no she couldn't wait for lunch, no, she couldn't wait for Charms, no, she couldn't wait for dinner.

But as Lily sat next to Sam at dinner that night, she was left with one alternative.

She, Lily Elisabeth Evans, was looking forward to spending time with James Potter. There were no two ways about it. After this small revelation, she found it was a bit harder to enjoy her soup.

"Sam," Lily cleared her throat, she had still not told Sam about tonight's plans. Which was rather bad, seeing as Lily really wanted her to come. There was no way that she could face the Marauders on her own. Sam looked up from her own bowl of soup.

"Yeah?" she said cautiously.

"Um, so last night James invited me, well us, actually, to go up to their dormitory and just work on homework."

"Lily I'm not coming on your date," said Sam.

"No, it's not a date," Lily argued calmly, "It's doing homework and I really wanted you to come."

"Is Black going to be there?"

"Most likely,"

"No."

"Sam, this is ridiculous between you two. He made a mistake last night, but he really is sorry," Lily spoke for Sirius, who was obviously sorry. He had been trying to catch Sam's eye at every possible moment throughout the day, and even now he kept looking down the table at her. Sam refused to look at him even once. Lily had even seen her use the hair-blocking method during DADA.

"Lily, I'm sorry--"

She had not been planning to deploy the Guilt Trap, but she saw that she had no other option.

"Sam, what about when I came up with you to find out if you were on the team?"

Sam looked up at her, and Lily could see that it had worked.

"Aw, Lils, that's not fair."

"No, but it's true. Now please?"

"Fine," said Sam, "but you're not going to make me talk to anyone, right?"

"As I said before, it's just a bunch of friends doing homework," said Lily, downplaying it very much.

"Deal, but after this we are even."

"Deal," repeated Lily. She looked at her watch. It was six thirty, "Let's go, okay?"

"Alright," sighed Sam, standing. Lily saw Sirius watch Sam leave, but Sam never looked back once. It was as if she had never known him.

* * *

Sam walked determinedly past the Marauders on her way out of the Great Hall. More importantly, she walked past Sirius Black without looking at his ugly mug once. That was a good line, she thought, she might have to use that tonight. Lily had Guilt Trapped her into accompanying her on her lame date to James' dormitory.

She paused at the door as she got into one of those annoying little face-to-face battles where the oncoming person steps the same way as you for five or six times. Lily was waiting in the entry way, and turned back to look at her. On the seventh failed side-step, she reached up and grabbed the shoulders of the other person, moving them to the side. When she looked up, she saw that it was a him. A fairly good-looking him.

Jason Davies, seventh year Ravenclaw captain was blocking her path.

"Hey, Tchaikovsky," he said, smiling down at her with a sort of half smile. Every other girl in the school went wild over Jason Davies, with his wavy blonde hair and tanned, muscular self. He had brown eyes that girls claimed could 'melt' you. At this proximity, Sam thought he was rather good-looking. She realised that her hands were still on his shoulders. She switched places with him so that he was now closer to the hall, and she closer to the entry way.

"Hey Jason," she returned. She was going to leave the situation, when she saw Sirius Black staring at the pair from the Gryffindor table. Let's see what he had to say about this. Sam turned her head so that more of her neck was facing him, and flipped her hair over her shoulder, setting her shoulders back. Jason took the bait and leaned up against the door.

"That was quite a game you had yesterday," he said.

"Oh, you're too sweet," she assured him, smiling softly and batting her eyelashes. It was rather cliche, as well as disgusting, to actually be flirting in such a manner, but she kept it up anyway.

"No, you're really good on a broom," he said.

"As were you," she said, letting one of her hands come up to rest on his chest.

"Hey, would you want to maybe go to Hogsmeade one weekend?" he asked. She really didn't like Jason Davies, and decided that she would just auction off the date to some unfortunate, yet gullible being.

"That would be wonderful," she said in the best seductive tone she could muster.

"Excellent, well, I'll see you around," he said, and when she turned, she saw Sirius staring at her with a new-found regard. She only met his eyes briefly.

"What was that?" asked Lily as Sam met her in the hall.

"Just having fun," Sam assured her.

"Making Sirius jealous?"

"I don't need to do that," snapped Sam.

It was actually taking quite a lot out of Sam to ignore Sirius. He seemed to be everywhere she went. It was tiring, and it was only the first day of her new resolution to disregard him completely. She sighed as she and Lily took the stairs up to their dormitory.

"Make yourself pretty," said Sam, lying on the bed and picking up one of Joanna's magazines (Hot Wizards from Around the World.) It was disgusting, and, moreover, none of them looked as good as Sirius.

Bloody. Hell. Had she really just said that Sirius Black was hot? Sweet Jesus, this was very bad. Now that she had thought it, it was in her subconscious. From there, it could turn itself into_ words._ Other people might hear her demented thoughts.

"I don't need to make myself look pretty," said Lily, appearing in a pair of baggy black sweatpants and a plain white t-shirt. It was a smart outfit, Sam had to admit. It looked like she didn't care, but of course, it had the ability to show off her natural assets, "Because it isn't a date. Speaking of, did you get one with Davies just now?"

"Yes," Sam groaned, "I didn't even want one. I just had to have something to say."

"Serves you right. You shouldn't mess with people's heads like that."

"Relax Lily,"

"Just saying."

"Ugh, I'll change too," Sam relented, but having not as much resting on this single encounter, she dressed with much less care, stripping down to her white button-up shirt and exchanging her skirt for jeans. She unbuttoned her shirt the first three so that her black camisole was visible.

"You want to impress Sirius," said Lily, but her voice had a kind of begging tone that told Sam she had convinced her that she no longer cared for Sirius. Now she just had to keep her subconscious well, subconscious. She couldn't help looking at Joanna's magazine on the cover, the blonde, blue-eyed Brazillian wizard sans shirt and thinking that his eyes would never be as cool or captivating as Sirius'.

"Ready?"

"Yes," Sam grumbled, grabbing a stack of parchments, her favorite quill and a bottle of ink. They entered the common room unnoticed and went up the opposing stairs to the top-most dormitory.

"Um..." Lily knocked on the wooden door.

"Yeah?"

"Uh, it's Lily,"

The door opened it was Sirius. He immediately looked to Sam, who decided upon sort of staring right through him in this cruel way as if there was something interesting on the opposite wall and he was a perhaps a curtain blocking her view.

"And Sam?" Lily added, rather hopefully.

"Yeah," Sirius stepped aside. She had to admit the dormitory was clean, but it had that feeling as if it had been cleaned rather recently and in a rather slip-shod manner. Peter was on one of the beds, eating some chocolate. James poked his head out of the bathroom.

"Hey Evans, Nutcracker," he stepped out, closing the door behind him.

"Where's Lupin?" asked Sam, sitting down rather huffily on one of the empty beds.

"Oh, he and Jamie 'went to the library,'" said James, grinning, "you both were right by the way, she snogged him. Thanks," he added, producing three galleons.

"Yeah, any time," said Lily, falling on another bed. James looked rather delighted, and Sam knew that must be his own bed. That meant the one she was on was either Lupin's or--

"Um,"

She looked up to Sirius, who obviously owned the bed.

"Sorry," she said bitterly, moving to get off the bed.

"No, I'll move," he offered kindly.

"No," said Sam firmly, grabbing his arm to keep him from moving to Lupin's bed. She didn't want any kindess from Sirius Black. Moreover, she didn't need it. When she had situated herself on the other bed and looked back up, he was still looking at her. _His eyes are so damn attractive. Forget his eyes, everything about him is attractive. _She thought with equal bitterness. _Damn him, why couldn't he be ugly? _She sighed and unrolled a parchment sheet, grabbed a text book off of Lupin's table and began scribbling on her paper.

"Whatcha writing, Sam?" asked James.

"Charms," she said simply.

"Hmm..." James seemed to mull this over as if it were some difficult problem. He sat on the bed a respectful distance from Lily, but peered expertly over her shoulder to see what she was working on. He reached over to his table and pulled what must have been the corresponding text book over to him, "Hey, Evans, what did Flitwick want us to write?"

"Oh," said Lily. She held her paper up to show him and James scooted closer to her under the pretense of reading her writing more clearly, "Just a list of charms that we may use in our professional work and how we'll go about it."

"Alright, thanks," said James, but he never moved back to his original spot. He cleared his throat and Sam saw him look to Sirius, "How about those um, Kenmare Kestrals, eh Tchaikovsky?"

"I thought you liked the Bulgarians," she said, looking at him acidically.

"I do," he said, "just thought--"

"The Bulgarians are doing rather well," said Sam, picking up the strain of conversation. She wouldn't make James pay for having handsome, stupid gits as friends, "I'll bet they make it to the Cup this season."

He seemed pleased by her evaluation.

"I know you like the Irish..."

"Naw, they're not faring too well this season," she said disappointedly, "They'll make it to the Cup again, but definitely not this time around."

"I'd pay to see Bulgaria and Ireland in the Cup," said Sirius, trying to enter the conversation incognito.

Sam continued on as if he had never spoken, "Yeah, not this time around. But the Kestrals are terrible. Every bloody year they are so bloody terrible. If I sponsored that bloody team, I'd bloody disband them."

Both James and Lily smiled at her overuse of 'bloody' and even Peter chuckled. It was Sirius' turn to ignore her.

"Why do you like the Bulgarians?" asked Lily of James and Sam saw him completely disregard her in favor of Lily, which only made Sam happy. Seeing the two of them together was like seeing the future. As corny as it sounded, they made the best couple. Both were attractive on their own, but when they were together, they both sort of had a glow about them.

She looked back down at her paper and scribbled the last sentence. Still she didn't roll it up, but kept sneaking glances at Sirius. She shouldn't have been doing it--she really was aiming to forget about him completely--but it was so _difficult._ Much more difficult than it should have been.

She felt rather bad, looking at him. He had this kind of dejected puppy look about him, and Sam marvelled that she had done that on her own. She loved seeing him smile, more than this sad puppy pouting, though it was cute. She briefly considered forgiving him, but then ignored the thought. She rolled up her parchment and pulled out another roll and started writing.

"You're a machine, Tchaikovsky," said James, alerted by the noise of paper, "what do you have now?"

"Transfigur--" she looked down. She had indeed continued her transfiguration essay, but on the parchment for her DADA paper, "Damn it," she said rather loudly.

Sirius stifled a laugh. She glared at him. He caught her look of daggers and coughed.

"What?" she demanded.

"Nothing," he said innocently, his puppy face disappearing into some sort of stupid confident grin.

"I see that your brain has evolved to recognise humor now, Black. I commend you," she said.

"Seeing you screw up _is_ considered humor, Tchaikovsky," he returned quickly. The ball was in her court.

"Seeing you screw up would be considered humor, but it happens so much, it's just sad," she volleyed back.

"Why can't you just let this go?" asked Sirius, and there was a note of pleading.

"What you said, it was--"

"True?" he finished, looking at her, "it was true. There was no way that Rollins could ever..." he looked at her with some kind of look, as if asking her to understand, "...have you," he finished lamely.

"Oh really?" Sam found herself standing and she forgot to sit back down, "You don't have a say in who I see and who I don't, Black."

"But Rollins? Davies?"

So he had noticed her flirting. Of course he had, she thought, she had made sure that he did.

"Again, you don't have a say. And what you said was not true,"

"Yes, it was. He's short. He's bloody titchy," he held up fingers to indicate size.

"I'm just some sort of bloody amusement ride, am I?" She got right to what was bothering her.

He stood up, too now.

"Oh no, Tchaikovsky, you never made it to the amusement park. You're still down at the local carnival," he took a step closer to her, "No one wants to pay _too _much money to get inside."

The ball had been volleyed back, but she was so stunned that she let it drop. That was a point for him, no matter how cheap. She felt her mouth open.

"Padfoot..." James spoke in a kind of warning tone.

"No," said Sirius, looking down at her, "it's true."

"You bloody _bastard,"_ she said, looking at him, "Are you saying I'm a _whore_?"

"I'm glad to see that your brain has evolved to recognise the truth," he said. They were now very close, but Sam felt nothing but sheer anger. She lifted her hand to slap him, but he grabbed her wrist. His grasp was light but firm.

"Let me go!" she argued. He held her wrist tighter still. His eyes were staring into hers, switching from one to the other, as if trying to see something inside of her. She returned his gaze unflinchingly, "Let. Me. Go." she repeated. He did not comply.

"You're really beautiful," he said.

"_Excuse me_?"

After being called a whore, she was admittedly not ready for this open flattery.

"Oh what the hell?" he asked of no one in particular, then pulled her the final four inches towards him and kissed her.

Sam froze. His lips moved against hers, as if asking for her permission. She did not move. She was fairly sure she was shocked. Sirius Black was kissing her. He had also called her a whore, but he had also called her beautiful. Couldn't he make up his mind? But the astonishment didn't take long to wear off, and when it did, she found that anger was very closely related to passion. She started kissing him back, and he responded keenly, grabbing her waist and arching her body into his own. She ran her fingers through his hair and pulled him closer to her.

He had just opened his mouth, started tracing her lips uncertainly with his tongue, when a voice interrupted them.

"Oi!" said James, throwing a pillow at Sirius, "Get a _room."_

"You're in it, mate," said Sirius, breaking away, his voice slightly husky. He was still holding her body next to his. Sam saw Lily looking at her with a mix of surprise and happiness on her face. There was also confusion, and Sam knew she would have to explain this to her later.

"Well give it a rest," said James hopelessly.

"Okay," said Sam, untangling herself from Sirius' arms and went to sit down, this time on his bed. He followed her happily, sitting rather close to her.

"I'm so sorry," he murmured in her ear and his breath tingled her neck, "I just couldn't stand having someone as beautiful as yourself talking to...Davies. And ignoring me.

"Forgiven," she said simply, though she thought this would have been obvious from her kissing him back, "And I don't actually like Davies," she added, happy to be clearing that up.

"Um," Lily cleared her throat and leaned forward so that she was looking around James at Sam, "I'm sorry, guys, but we're going to have to turn in early," she said, looking at Sam with an exceptionally pointed expression.

"Yeah," Sam sighed, catching her drift. Lily wanted to talk _now._

"Alright," said James, moving off the bed and collecting Lily's stuff for her. He handed it to her in an exceptionally gentlemanly fashion.

"Thanks," said Lily, smiling at him.

"Yeah, thanks for coming up. It was _productive,_" he dragged out the last word, making a point to stare at Sirius and Sam.

"See you," both girls said as they left.

* * *

"Alright," said James after Lily and Sam left, "Explain."

"What?" asked Sirius, falling back on his bed.

"What?" repeated James, "I was thoroughly afraid that you were going to strip her down right there!"

Sirius' grin was sly, "The fact that I didn't speaks not of what I wanted," he said diplomatically.

"I'll bet,"

"She's going to be great," said Sirius, putting his hands behind his head as he leaned back, "It wasn't even a legitimate snog and it was _amazing."_

James leaned back on his own bed. It still smelled like Evans. He breathed in deeply.

"You know what this means, Prongs?" asked Sirius, looking over at him as though a revelation had come to him suddenly.

"What?"

"You're the last one left,"

"What are you talking about?"

"Well Moony's off snogging Jamie, and I just kissed Samantha, so you're the last one left," he repeated, "We have to get you snogging Evans."

"I've tried," said James helplessly, "She pulls out everytime."

"Fear not, Prongs, you'll get her yet."

"How?"

Sirius contemplated, then brightened.

"You two are planning that Muggle Christmas Parade soon, right?"

"A dance, not a parade, mate,"

"Same thing. You can ask Evans to go," he said as though it was some sort of life-changing discovery.

"What's going to make her say yes this time?" asked James, who was feeling rather put out as he considered everythign that Sirius had said.

"We'll ask Moony to help us, and we can get Sam in on it too, but we'll have her say yes, I know we will,"

It sounded good to James. And as he turned off his light that evening, laying down on the pillow that still smelled like Evans, he knew he had to make it happen.

He needed Lily Evans.

He loved her.


	11. The Asking

_Still don't own any characters that you recognise--except Samantha Tchaikovsky, you might start recognising her now._

* * *

_Hello hello hello! Well, here is the next chapter! A special note, if there are any males reading this, I would like to take my short moment of fame to tell you: please, if you are going to ask a girl to any sort of dance, parade or otherwise social gathering, do it well! It doesn't have to be huge and dramatic, just nice....and you'll see that I didn't have Sirius ask Lily to the ball for James? Yes, ask them your bloody selves! I promise you, you'll be better off for it. Promise. Anyway, here it is! Average length again. I'm really going to have to throw in another long one. Don't worry, fair readers, I shall prevail!_

_Also, I would like to say that I often mix between the British and American spellings of words. I apologise/apologize. I read a lot of British books, and therefore the spellings are in my head that way, but I live in the US, so there's a bit of a clash there._

_Love Always,_

_Fae_

**The Asking **

Lily knew there was no denying it. Something had changed between she, Sam, and the Marauders. Well, of course something had changed with Sam. After a rather vicious yelling spree between she and Sirius, Sam had kissed him. It wasn't a small peck on the cheek either. Sam had started _kissing_ Sirius right in the middle of the boy's dormitory.

But now, they were all _friendly._ They saw each other in the hall and smiled and waved, even exchanged happy chit-chat. At all three meals, they made an effort to sit next to each other. Jamie, who was undoubtedly seeing Remus at this point, was exceptionally friendly with Sam and Lily. Although she was a year younger, she became part of their little group.

And Lily found that she no longer loathed James Potter. She had had an inkling of this fact, but now it was definitely...factual. She and him were more than congenial; it was as if they had been friends for years. And in a way, they had.

All of that teasing, all of the yelling and glaring, was, in some wild way their way of showing affection. James had always shown her affection, and now, she was returning it.

Now, it was the middle of December, and the past month was one of the happiest that Lily could remember.

That afternoon, as they sat through a mandatory luncheon--one where the entire student body was mandated to attend a single meal-- Professor Dumbledore stood to address them. Immediately, the hall fell silent. Everyone finished their current bites of food and turned to look at the Headmaster.

"Good afternoon," he said, smiling at them all. Professor Dumbledore had a way of speaking and looking at the audience that made everyone feel as if he was looking and speaking directly to them, "I am proud to announce that Hogwarts will be hosting a Christmas Ball this Christmas Eve."

He paused so that they could have a moment to whisper among themselves.

"The dance will be for fourth years or above. Any younger students will have to be accompanying a fourth year or better. Those are the rules, no exceptions."

He paused again as the first and second years grumbled at this news. The third years however were craning their necks, trying to get a good look at any fourth years who were possible dates.

"The only other rule for this event is that there will be no dress robes worn," he did not need to pause, for no one was speaking. Everyone was very intent on this last bit of news, "We will all be donning Muggle evening wear. This means for the gentlemen, tuxedoes or suits. Dress pants, shirts, and jackets are required. Neck ties or bow ties are optional,"

"What do you think, Evans," James leaned in and whispered in her ear, "Should I wear a bowtie?"

She stifled a giggle, "Most definitely," she responded, and he smiled.

"For the young women here, you will all be wearing gowns of some extent. There will be professors at the entrance to ensure that no...exceptions...are allowed to enter. You may see your head of house for flyers of examples of appropriate clothing.

"Any questions may be directed to any professor, or in some cases, our Head Boy and Girl. That is all, good night," said Dumbledore, dismissing them to their next class.

"I wish he wouldn't have mentioned us," said James in a low voice. As they stood with the flood of students, Lily saw that a group of fourth year girls were approaching them.

"Duck," said Lily, "We're being looked for."

She pulled James down near the ground so that they were squatting.

"What are you doing?" asked Sam, who was smart enough not to look at the pair when she was speaking.

"Those kids, they're looking for us," whispered Lily.

"Here, we'll block you," offered Sirius, and he, Sam, Jamie and Remus escorted them out. Lily and James righted themselves as they made it to the entrance hall.

"You aren't going to be able to avoid them forever," said Jamie, "Anyway, I'll see you all later, I have potions." She kissed Remus lightly then was swept away down towards the dungeons.

"You two are really great together," said Sam as they began to wade through the students. Lily had never been part of a lunch with the entire school, and now she saw why. There were little first and second years scurrying all around, trying to make it through the older students to their own classes.

"You know what I hate about short people, Black?" Sam suddenly had a very bright look on her face as she shouted above their heads.

"What's that?"

"You can see where you're going, you just can't get there!" she laughed, jumping on the first step of a staircase for a moment of respite from the crowd.

"Right you are," said Sirius, laughing too. He waded through the mob to grab Sam around the waist. For her part, after looking stunned, called,

"Land ho!", pointing to the transfiguration classroom.

"Indeed Captain!" Sirius shouted, now throwing her over his shoulder.

"Put me down! Put me _down!_" Sam screamed good naturedly, hitting Sirius' back with her books. She gave up finally and dissolved in a fit of giggles.

"You know, they haven't kissed once since that night in your dormitory," said Lily thoughtfully, watching her best friend be carried fireman style into their next class.

"I've noticed," said James, "Padfoot won't be able to take it much longer."

"Neither will Sam," Lily assured him as they reached the threshold of the classroom together.

"Mr. Black, we do not allow the manhandling of other students," said Professor McGonagall in a tight voice as Sirius put Sam in her desk.

"Yes ma'am," he said and Sam laughed, "Sorry for 'man handling' you Tchaikovsky,"

"That's much better," tutted McGonagall, "I can assure you there are more traditional and more effective methods of asking a woman to accompany you to a ball," she added, and Sirius looked at her in disbelief.

Sam laughed out loud this time, and Lily and James did as well. McGonagall even seemed to break a small smile at the look on Sirius' face as he stared at her.

"She right," he said, turning his gaze to Sam, who was seated on top of her table, "Tchaikovsky," he grabbed her hand, "may I champion thee?" he asked in a dramatic voice, raising her hand to his lips. He didn't kiss it, but waited for her answer.

"Yes, thank you," said Sam, fighting for a straight face.

"And as your champion, will you attend the ball with me?" Sirius continued.

Sam nodded, as she was unable to speak without laughing.

"Wonderful," he said, kissing her hand properly. He dropped it then turned to McGonagall.

"How was that, Professor?" he asked cheekily.

"Much improved, Mr. Black," she said sternly.

The rest of the class had begun to file in now, and Lily took her seat near Samantha, Lupin, James, and Sirius filling in the rows behind them.

Lily nudged Sam in the ribs and when she looked at her, Lily smiled in a type of congratulations. Sam smiled back, and Lily saw she was blushing.

McGonagall began their lesson for that day, on the tansformation of mammals. Mammals were the most difficult animals to transfigure, and they would be attempting it from an inanimate object. This gave them no animalistic qualities to start with. As McGonagall proceeded with explaining the merits of such transfiguration, James started playing with Lily's hair, as he was seated right behind her, and her thoughts drifted away from the lesson and to...James.

He hadn't tried to kiss her after that night in the Great Hall. He had had plenty of opportunities, but had not even made an attempt. She thought this was commendable, and also must have taken a lot of self control on his part. However, Lily found, it was taking a bit of self control on her part not to kiss him. Every time he was close, she felt the urge to have his lips up against hers. It was an irefutable desire that often times drove her crazy.

And now, as he twirled her hair, she had the same urge to turn around and start kissing him in the middle of class. She used to only want to do it in private, but she was approaching the point where she didn't really care who saw her do it.

She sighed and reined her feelings back in time to hear the incantation necessary for their transformation.

"I will expect you all to be able to demonstrate this transformation for me, individually, on the day before you leave for Christmas."

That gave them nearly a week to work on this task, and it was probably a good thing, too, because as soon as McGonagall sat down at her desk, the entire class turned around to their friends and started discussing the upcoming dance. Though, Lily thought, McGonagall had probably known this.

* * *

Over the next week, Sam was asked to the Christmas dance by fourteen different people. It was exceptionally flattering, but she had always hated turning people down . She hated dejected faces. But she had said yes to Sirius, the one person that she really would have wanted to go with, and for that, she would look at all of the dejected mugs in the world.

What was really making her nervous was that the Ball was on Christmas Eve, only three days away, and Lily still hadn't accepted to go with anyone. In comparison with Sam, Lily had received over thirty invitations from numerous boys in all years. She had turned them all down. Sam knew why.

"You're waiting for James, aren't you?" Sam hissed to Lily as she gracefully declined the offer of Number Thrity-Six.

"So what if I am?" asked Lily.

"I don't know, he's cutting it awfully close," she said, and she regretted her words instantly. Lily's face clouded over and she almost looked like she could cry, "But you know, he hasn't asked anyone else. And he's turned down all of the offers that girls have given him."

Lily looked at her, and Sam knew that Lily would never, ever, ask a guy to a dance. They were both traditional and had the habit of thinking that the males should do the asking.

Of course, at that moment, James appeared in front of them, strangely alone.

"Speak of the Devil and thus he doth appear," said Sam, taking in the sight of James who looked out-of-breath, his hair especially messy, but not in the placed sort of way that it usually was. It was as if it actually hadn't been combed.

"Yeah, Tchaikovsky, I need you," James said, looking quickly at Lily then back at Sam, "Please," he said in a tone that made Sam know she didn't need telling twice.

"I'll see you later," Sam said to Lily, who was looking absolutely agitated now.

"Oh, of course," she said in a high voice, "I'll see you later, Samantha Tchaikovsky!" she stormed away. Sam rounded on James.

"This had better involve something along the lines of asking her out," she warned.

"Walk with me," said James, "and talk. But walk."

She fell into stride beside him.

"Well?"

"_Yes_ this involves asking Lily to the dance," he said in an exhasperated voice, "Did you actually think I wasn't going to?"

"It's not so much of _I_ _didn't_ think so, as much as _she_ _doesn't_ think so," said Sam, biting her lip. James looked horrified.

"I knew I waited too long," he moaned, "is she really mad?"

"Nothing I'm sure you couldn't fix."

"Dammit, that's too much pressure, Nutcracker," he said.

"You had better not screw this up," she said, "I think she actually, really likes you. A lot. She talks about you a lot when she's asleep."

"Nuh-uh?" he said, looking awed, "Really?"

Sam wasn't quite sure that she should be sharing this information with him, but, in her estimation, he needed some inspiration.

"Yeah, so, you better make this good."

He punched the air in a sudden burst of energy, "Really? She likes me?"

"_Yes_," said Sam emphatically, looking puzzled, "Calm down." she advised, recognising that they were on the way to the owlery. Last month, two boys had got in a fight in the owlery and scared all of the owls out. The birds hadn't returned for a week, and now they were especially jumpy.

"My God, Tchaikovsky, this is bloody fantasitc." he said, seizing her out of no where and giving her a hug. He even kissed the top of her head as if she were his sister.

"Ew," said Sam, shoving him away. But his elation was contagious and soon she found herself smiling like a fool as well. They had reached the owlery. Among hundreds of owls, rafters and skeletons, Sam saw four brown-paper packages on the floor.

"I couldn't have them delivered with the post, or she would have seen," he explained, taking two of the parcels. Sam managed the others. They began back down towards the main halls.

"You going to tell me what this is about?" Sam asked as they entered the common room after a moment of very fast walking. She saw Lily on the common room couch. She tried to send her a shrug, as to tell her that she was not part of this scheme--yet--but Lily ignored her. James led her up into their dormitory.

"Close the door quickly," he said, and Sam followed directions. When she turned, she was met by a most extraordinary sight. There were lillies--hundreds of beautiful white flowers-- all about the room.

"James..." Sam said.

"Oi, Prongsie..."

Sam saw Sirius behind a very large mountain of flowers, attempting to string them onto a thread.

"I'm not a florist, man." he said, looking helpless, "I think it's great, what you're doing for Evans and all, but I'm not getting paid, and I have no damn clu what I'm doing..."

"I'll take that," said Sam quickly, and Sirius looked at her gratefully.

"Good," said James, looking slightly overwhelmed, "Sam, you see we have the lily theme going here. That's supposed to be--"

"A garland," finished Sam, and Sirius looked at James.

"I _told_ you we needed a girl," he said, throwing his hands up as he stood.

"Great, wonderful, so we'll work over here," James said, as Sam picked up a lily gingerly and threaded it onto the string. When James opened the packages, Sam saw that there were hundreds of sheets of parchment in each one. Pretty, pristine new parchment.

"Oh!" said Sam, realising what they were doing, "they're all of her things from the amortentia!"

James nodded

"He's making sure she can't say no," smirked Sirius, and Sam knew that he was probably right. Which was, in turn, ridiculous. Lily could never say no to James. This was a new thought, but comfortable nonetheless. Sam finished the garland.

"How'd you do that so fast?" asked Sirius, looking impressed. Sam pointed to herself,

"I'm a girl," she said.

"I hope for Padfoot's sake that is true," smirked James, who was in a much better humor now that they were getting somewhere. Sam threw a flower at him, but otherwise ignored his comment. Sirius seemed seriously concerned.

"Yes," he emphasized, then looked slightly alarmed, "That is true, isn't it?"

"Really?" demanded Sam, looking at him dumbfounded, "Really?"

"Well," Sirius smiled, "We could clear that all up right here. It would be quick..." he trailed off hopefully.

"Is ..._that_...all you think about?" Sam asked with disgust.

"I'm a boy," said Sirius, and he cut Sam off when she went to make a wise comment, "I can prove it for you right now, Tchaikovsky."

"I reserve the right to revoke my consent of your invitation," she warned, then turned to James , "What are you doing with all of those?" she asked, surveying the mountain of parchment.

"I was hoping maybe you could help me with that," said James, turning to her with a sheepish look on his face. Sam looked appalled.

"I'm not an event cooridinator."

"But you are a girl," Sirius offered.

"As sexist as that is, I'll still help you," said Sam in a benevolent tone.

"Thanks Sam, I owe you," James said.

"I know," she replied, setting small stacks of parchment around the room.

"Well, even I could have done that," Sirius said when she had finished.

"Shut up," she said, handing them each a piece of parchment, "watch," She folded the corners of the paper until it resembled a flower, "Ta da," she said holding it proudly, she threw it on the bed, "We'll just scatter them with the lilies," she added. The two boys looked at her. She sighed, "You didn't get any of that, did you?" They both shook their heads.

She showed them four more times until James got it, seven before Sirius had it down. Soon, amongst the white of the lilies there were yellowish paper petals around as well.

"See what women do to you, Prongs?" asked Sirius, motioning around the room with his thirtieth oragami lily, "they turn you into...into origami people."

"Origami people?" repeated Sam, who had finished over a hundred little flowers.

"Yes, Tchaikovsky. Do they have another name?" he looked at her.

"Not that I'm aware of," she returned.

"Are we about done?" asked James who, though he had followed the steps quicker than Sirius, was the slowest of them all.

"Yeah," said Sam, looking around the room. There were short garlands hung between the canopies of the beds, lilies in vases and in bunches covering the floor, the tables--everywhere!

"You ready?" asked Sirius of James, who swollowed hard.

"Yeah," he said, tugging at the collar of his shirt, which was unbuttoned. His tie hung undone around his neck, "Can you go get her?" he added, unwrapping a piece of gum.

"Sure," said Sam, grabbing Sirius' hand and pulling him out of the room. He closed the door behind them and they descended into the common room. As they had been in the dormitory for nearly two hours, most of the people had cleared out--including Lily.

"I'll get her," sighed Sam, taking the stairs into her own dormitory. Sure enough, Lily was in her bed, "Lily," said Sam in a whisper. She didn't respond. Sam tiptoed to her bed and shook her. She didn't wake up. She pulled the covers off of her, and Lily was still in her uniform, "Lily," said Sam in exhasperation.

"Go away," said Lily grabbing the covers back.

"Get out," ordered Sam, and Lily turned to glare at her.

"What?"

"I need you," Sam said blandly.

"Why?"

"Stop asking questions," Sam said, sighing, grabbing her arm and pulling her out of bed.

"Fine," said Lily, grabbing her arm back as they exited the dormitory. Sam saw Sirius over the rail and she smiled at him. He looked thoroughly relieved.

"What?" Lily demanded, looking around the empty common room.

"Come on," Sirius said, pushing her up the stairs to the boy's dormitory. Lily glared at him, but went up to their dormitory. Sirius and Sam dropped behind as she pushed the door open, but Sam heard her gasp.

"James..." Lily sighed, looking around the room. She stepped inside and Sam and Sirius took the rest of the stairs to watch the show. James cleared his throat.

* * *

James tried to keep his throat from closing. Lily was standing in front of him in her wrinkled uniform, looking at him in this shocked sort of way that made him nervous.

"Lily Evans," he said, looking at her, "You are the most beautiful girl I have ever met. Will you do me the pleasure of coming with me to the Christmas dance?"

She didn't say anything for a minute, was very still. He felt his stomach drop. She was going to say no. For all he knew, she had accepted someone else's invitation tonight, while he was up here making hundreds of stupid paper flowers. But then, she was right in front of him.

"Yes," she said and kissed him. _She _was kissing _him._ He kissed her back very carefully, tentatively, not wanting her to break away. She did of course, after only a moment, and when she did, she punched him in the arm.

"James Potter!" she said, near shouting, looking up at him.

"_What?_" he asked, rubbing his arm. It actually had hurt a bit.

"I thought you weren't going to ask me," her voice was very quiet now, and he could see that there were the beginnings of tears in her eyes.

"Oh Lily," he said, wrapping her into his arms and kissing her. He was fairly certain that she wasn't going to leave.

"Oi," said Sirius, "get a room."

"Get out," said James, not daring once to remove his lips from Lily's.


	12. The Parade

_Still don't own any characters that you recognise--except Samantha Tchaikovsky, you might start recognising her now._

* * *

_Okee Dokes, here's the deal. I love you all very much, but I love knowing what you think of my chapters even more!!! So, if any of you feel it within your spacious hearts to leave me a review, that would be phenomenal. If, you feel that your heart is a few sizes too small to do this, you may consider stealing the Christmas presents from a small town, nearly dumping them off the top of a high and particularly scraggly mountain, and end your busy days by carving Roast Beast. Word on the street is this helps your heart grow. I don't know. This following chapter is kind of two chapters together. Very cute. Some of you might hate these, but I find them particualrly entertaining, and it's going to help the story...obviously._

_Also, I would like to say that I often mix between the British and American spellings of words. I apologise/apologize. I read a lot of British books, and therefore the spellings are in my head that way, but I live in the US, so there's a bit of a clash there._

_Really, any comment is wonderful and appreciated!_

_Love Always,_

_Fae_

**The Parade: Lily**

Lily could remember every Christmas Eve from her childhood. She could remember looking forward to the presents under the tree, thinking about Santa Claus and reindeer and candy.

Now, she thought about James Potter.

It was Christmas Eve. The Christmas Ball was tonight. It started at seven and went until midnight. It was going to be just like Cinderella, thought Lily happily. And she actually had a real prince.

She could still picture the scene when James had asked her to go. She was so scared that he wasn't going to, that he was asking someone else. But in reality, he had prepared the most spectacular asking-out that any girl had ever received.

Over the past week, all of the girls had had their hands full going out of school grounds on weekends to fin dresses, writing frantic letters home to ask for some of their Muggle sister's old prom garments, everything. The morning post had been especially entertaining.

Now Lily stood in the middle of the dormitory, staring at her dress. She and Sam had gone out to get it the past Saturday. Dumbledore had actually allowed them to visit London. It was out of the ordinary, but thoroughly appreciated. He had graced that to a lot of people actually, if they had the grades and the records. The gown was green--but of course--a deep emerald shade, made of fabric that shone so much it was like wearing water, with a heart-shaped neckline and hudreds of tiny crystals along the hems. The skirt was runched up in places so that it fell like big bursts of water. It was beautiful.

"Lily, why aren't you moving?" asked Sam, sounding afraid. She herself had not yet put on her dress, but she had done her hair and makeup. She looked pretty already.

"I'm going," said Lily, getting up and moving to the bathroom. Joanna and Mina had been clogging it up for hours, each inside with their overly-poofy skirts. Joanna was wearing a hot pink shade that made one's eyes sore, while Mina had chosen a racy red number that barely covered her top half, but added four feet of width to either side of her with her skirt. Lily sighed and pushed her way to a sink, quickly brushing on some make-up.

Her hair was already done. She had piled most of it on top of her head by the means of hundreds of pins and hair spray. She had allowed two pieces of exceptionally unruly hair to hang down to frame her face, and half to fall along her shoulder in a graceful coil. She took one last look in the mirror and proceeded back out into the room.

Sam was finishing getting dressed, adjusting the straps of her shimmery golden gown that accentuated her hourglass figure. Lily quickly stepped into her own garment and pulled up the bodice around her. It hugged her body and fanned out neatly--not obnoxiously-- to lay on the floor.

"Lily," Sam said in a soft voice, looking at her friend, "You look _so _pretty."

"Thanks," Lily blushed, slipping on her shoes for the night, a pair of comfortably low heels in the same kind of green silk as her dress.

"You do," said Alice Jones agreed, looking up from her trunk. Alice was wearing a dress in very light pink, that was lacy and elegant with slight silver stitching over its bodice. Her light brown hair had been curled and fell lazily around her face, which was pink with excitement. She held up her other shoe, which had been what she was looking for, "wish me luck," said Alice, slipping on her shoes and moving towrds the door.

"Luck," said Sam, who was now fighing with the straps of her halter top.

"We'll see you, Alice," said Lily, waving at her. The door shut and Lily approached one of Mina's full-length mirrors to assess her reflection. She almost didn't recognise herself. Her eyes were unnaturally green, almost inhumanely so, surrounded by a thick black fringe of lashes. Her hair was graceful and manageable...

"Lils, you look like a queen," said Sam simply, looking up at her once again.

"Thanks,"

"Don't thank me, it's true," Sam replied, "Let's just hope Potter looks like a king."

Lily blushed.

"Are you ready?" she turned to look at Sam, trying to change the subject.

"Let's do this," said Sam, flipping her head upside down to shake her curls. She looked like some sort of old-time deity that had been immortalized as a golden statue. Sam had chosen comfortable shoes as well, with hardly any heel. They were more of a slipper. In bare feet, she and Lily were taller than most every girl in the school, save Jamie.

Lily took a breath and grasped the door handle.

"Mina, Jo, we're going!" called Sam into the bathroom.

"Alright!" both girls called back, "Have fun!"

"Yeah, you too!" Sam turned to Lily,"Go."

Lily smiled and opened the door. Sirius, James, Remus and Jamie were all seated about the common room. At the sound of the door, James and Sirius jumped up, and Lily wondered if they had been doing this all night.

James locked eyes with Lily, and she nearly collapsed. There was such a ferocious emotion blazing beneath the hazel that it would have made her blush, had she not felt a similar sensation towards him. He was wearing a black jacket with a tie, black pants and a white shirt. It was traditional and marvelous.

"Damn," said Sirius, taking Sam's hand at the bottom of the stairs. Sam couldn't help grinning hugely. He put a hand on her back. James didn't say anything as he took Lily's arm, but the fact that he couldn't take his eyes off her for a second sufficed for numerous words.

"You two look so pretty," said Jamie, who was sitting on Remus' lap. Her sheeny red lipstick had already been smudged around, and Lily was fairly sure that they had already begun tonight's snogging. Jamie stood up, as did Remus, and her beautiful gown was revealed. It was this kind of deep navy blue that was so dark it seemed black in some light. It hugged her figure past her hips, then exploded out into a pleated burst of the same dark silk. Jamie's long blonde hair had been straightened into a curtain that swept right above her lower back. She looked like a model.

"You, too," said Sam, who was still smiling. Lily wondered if she was ever going to stop tonight. There was a similar sensation creeping about the corners of Lily's own mouth, which still hadn't turned down.

"Thanks," Jamie said.

"Ready?" James finally spoke, and his voice sounded rather hoarse. Their group nodded.

"Where's Peter?" Lily thought to ask as they paraded down the hall.

"Oh, well, he didn't get a date," said Sirius, looking rather sorry.

"Oh, he still could have come!" said Lily brightly.

"I don't think he was really up for it," said James, "he was kind of beaten up after the third year turned him down."

"That's a wee bit creepy," said Sam, wrinking her nose. They were now standing outside of the Great Hall. None of them were prepared for the sight that greeted them.

There were twelve trees, six on each side of the hall, so massive that their great green tips touched the indefinite ceiling of the great hall. Each had been decorated to represent one of the twelve days of Christmas. Ther was one with hundreds of glass partridges, garlands of tiny pears, another outfitted in thousands of gold rings. Little silver and gold milking buckets and glass milk maids adorned yet another. The classic candles still hung from the ceiling, but mixed with them were snow flakes, hundreds of little magical ones that never made it to the ground, and never made it cold. The windows seemed to be covered in icy frost that acted as a decoration, even the floor was covered with the frost patterns, which reflected beautifully in the candlelight.

"Oh my..." Lily sighed, content. Girls in every color of dress imaginable flitted about the dance floor, accompanied by their escorts outfitted in onyx. James' hand on her arm was warm as he led her to one of the small frosty tables that had been arranged on the outskirts of the floor. Sirius and Samantha, Remus and Jamie, all pulled chairs around it, too.

"This is amazing," breathed Jamie, and everyone nodded, still taking it in.

"Do you want to dance?" asked Remus, holding his hand down to her. Jamie took it and followed him out to the dance floor, where he twirled her about to the tune of a waltz.

"May I have this dance?" asked Sirius of Sam, who smiled at him and nodded. Sirius guided her out to the floor and they too, began dancing.

"Lily?"

"Mmm?" Lily responded, looking around at the mesmerising snow falling.

"Will you dance?" James stood and she looked at him. He was the most beautiful boy she had ever seen. And he wanted her. She just held out her hand and he hoisted her up and escorted her to the middle of the dance floor. He pulled her around to the appropriate position: there was a modest amount of room between them, his hand sat high on her waist as he held her other up in the air, and though Lily respected his manners, she was a bit disappointed. They moved slowly, smoothly. Lily hadn't danced many times before, but when she danced with James, it was as if she had been taking classes her entire life. They moved together effortlessly, and Lily's only thought was that this was how it should be.

"You look so beautiful," said James, looking at her plainly.

"Thank you," responded Lily, softly, unable to meet his gaze, which had somehow grown more fierce since she had emerged from her dormitory, "What are you thinking about?" she asked finally, forcing herself to see his face. He smiled.

"Hmm... I'm not entirely sure that would be, er, proper conversation," he said, grinning at her, and she returned the smile, "But I'm also thinking how ridiculously lucky I am to have you dancing with me," he added.

"Perhaps," said Lily, though her face was burning, "you can tell me about those other thoughts later?"

James laughed and pulled her closer to him. They finished the song, then returned to their table. None of the others were present, and as they scanned the floor, neither of them saw their friends.

"Oh dear," Lily sighed, "Where would Sirius have taken Sam?"

"You got me," said James, sliding his hands into his pockets. Lily sat down as the next song began. Though she enjoyed dancing, she was a bit tired, "Want to walk?" James asked, offering his hand. Lily took it and they exited the hall, into the entrance, and out into the night.

It was surprisingly not cold, even though it was thoroughly winter. Lily even thought that it was passably warm.

"Dumbledore," James explained, "he and some of the other teachers put a charm around the school boundaries so that it would be warm. That way people could go outside,"

"Oh," Lily said, allowing the warmth to wrap around her. It was actually warmer outside than in.

"C'mon," James said, taking her hand in his, entwining his fingers through hers. The feeling it gave her was warmer than the magical weather, and she thought that they should do this more often: hold hands. They patrolled the grounds in silence, walking along the fringe of the Forbidden Forest, the castle looming on their left, the trees on their right, and a brilliant moon above them.

"I've been thinking about something," said James, looking at her, "do you remember when you told me you wanted to be an Auror?"

Lily nodded, "And you said you wanted to be a Quidditch player," she remembered, "You know, James, I think you'll do it, too, be a Quidditch player, I mean. You're really good,"

He beamed, but only momentarily, "Thanks, but, well, you got me thinking."

"What about?"

"Playing Quidditch would be teriffic, it really would, but it's kind of unrealistic, you know?"

"Not for you," Lily argued, thinking of the easy grace with which he rode his broom, captured the snitch.

"No, it is for anyone," he responded, "and so I was thinking that maybe I'd be, well, an Auror, too."

She turned her head and stared at him.

"Why?"

"Well, honestly," he ran his fingers through his hair, "Honestly because of you."

"Me?"

James nodded, "When you said you were going to be an Auror, I felt something terrible and I didn't know then what it was. But I thought about it, and I realised I didn't want you to be an Auror because I wouldn't be there to...to protect you."

"James....I..." she stuttered, not really knowing how to respond.

"I know it sounds ridiculous, Lily, but you know how much I like you. These past months, I have really had a chance to be with you, and you're the most beautiful person I know, from all aspects. I would never, ever, let anything happen to hurt you."

They had stopped walking. Lily was now facing James bodily, and he was facing her. She wasn't even sure where they were, only that they were surrounded by trees, and she thought that they had probably walked into the beginnings of the Forest. But that didn't matter right now.

"All of these years, Lily, I've been here to watch you, to make sure you didn't get hurt. Sometimes, I couldn't do anything to stop you from being hurt, and that killed me inside. So when you said you were going off to be an Auror, I knew that I had to go to. There was no other way to make sure you were safe. This is something in my control, I can come to protect you."

Lily looked at his eyes. She loved his eyes. She had said it so many times, but as she stared at him, she knew that she didn't just love his eyes. She loved his glasses, his nose, his mouth, she loved his arms and his broad chest, she loved his stupid, messy hair and his sense of humor, how he made her laugh, how he was such a brilliant Quidditch captain, how he had never, ever given up on her, and now, how he wanted to protect her.

She loved him.

And she kissed him.

She kissed him, tilting her head to the side, guiding his face and meeting his lips with hers. She wrapped her arms around his neck, put her hands in his hair. He wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed her back. She wasn't afraid of kissing him anymore, of him kissing her. There was only James, and the greedy want to have his lips moving against hers.

But she had to tell him, she had to explain how she felt. That would require her breaking away though, and she had already done that too many times. She wasn't about to do it again. She opened her mouth, and he followed her lead. His breath mixed with her own, and it clouded her head, made her feel dizzy and fantastic.

"James," she murmured against his lips, and his tongue slipped into her mouth. She met him halfway, her own tongue dancing in the foreign land just inside his lips. He sort of groaned and his arms left her body for a second. But then they were back, and he was supporting her weight entirely in his arms. He kissed her harder, heavier, but she kissed back. Somewhere, she felt her feet leave the ground. When his mouth went to her neck, she was free to catch her breath. She saw that somehow, she had wound up on top of him. James was lying on his back on top of his jacket, his arms wandering up and down her torso. She guided his jaw back to her own, and she felt him smile. He shifted suddenly, but carefully, and now he was on top of her. His weight came down on her, pressed the air from her lungs, but it was the most wonderful out-of-breath feeling she could have imagined.

Lily Evans, Head Girl, was in the Forbidded Forest, making out with a certain James Potter, and she honestly couldn't think of anywhere else she would rather be.

**The Parade: Samantha**

Samantha grabbed her gown out of her trunk. She had just bought it in London with Lily. At the boutique in which they had found it, it had seemed otherworldly, the way it fell over her body perfectly, as if someone had sewn it expressly for her. The rich gold color had been decidedly not garish, just classy. Now she was exceptionally worried that it was going to be a horrible disaster.

What in the world had possessed her to buy this? It was such a daring sort of garment, fitted and with a bold sort of low back. No one else would be wearing something like this, so eagerly showing off their build. But that was what had made her buy it in the first place. She absolutely despised matching people.

She glanced over at Lily, who hadn't moved for some time now. Oh well, she thought, throwing the garment onto her bed. She abandoned it to go into the bathroom. Mina and Joanna, both of whom had already changed into their gawdy dresses, were taking up nearly the entire space, which had been designed as a commodious, one-person bathroom. Sam took the far left corner of the mirror and set to work curling ehr hair into shiny ringlets. Using the magical method and products, it took no time at all, so she moved onto her makeup. She glanced at Mina and Joanna. Each had on a ridiculous amount of make-up, so that Sam was fairly uncertain of what their faces really looked like. She sighed and put on some black mascara, a little bit of eyeliner, and swabbed some red gloss across her lips.

"'Scuse me," she said, pushing back out into the dormitory. Lily still hadn't moved. She was looking up, unblinkingly at the canopy above her, "Lily, why aren't you moving?"

Lily finally blinked and stared at her.

"I'm going," she groaned, picking herself up and heading into the bathroom. Sam sighed again and crossed the room to her own dress. She stripped down and let the fabirc of her gown fall down around her. It was a light sort of fabric that was undeibly shiny, but also had exceptionally small crystals all through it that added a sort of throw of light without looking like a strobe light. As it had in the sotre, it hugged her chest, her small waist, her full hips, and fell around her legs. She began to work with the strange series of ties that were supposed to support the halter top when Lily came out.

Sam turned to look at her friend.

"Lily, you look _so _pretty."

Pretty wasn't even a fair word to use. Lily's hair was up and down at the same time, in an elegant bun and hanging down the length of her dress. The green silk gown had volume in its skirt, with little crystals encrusting the top and bottom.

"Thanks," Lily said, putting on her shoes.

"You do," said Alice. Sam hadn't heard her talk all night, and wondered if she was as nervous as the rest of them. But Alice didn't need to worry. Sam had heard that Frank Longbottom was already planning to ask her to marry him as soon as they graduated. Besides, Alice looked so pretty! Her little pink dress was as cute and innocent as Alice herself, matching her bright, blushing cheeks and brown hair. Alice held up her shoes, for which she had been serching, "Wish me luck," she said, heading towards the door.

"Luck," Sam said, now becoming rather annoyed with the confusion that the straps were causing her, and found it impossible to make her answer any longer.

"We'll see you, Alice," Lily said, replying cordially for both of them.

"Lily, you look like a queen," Sam said, catching Lily looking uncertainly at her reflection in a mirror. She finally succeeded in securing her top, but refrained from exclaiming in victory.

"Thanks,"

"Don't thank me, it's true," she said, "Let's just hope Potter looks like a king."

As things were becoming undeniably more serious between Lily and James, Sam became increasingly worried. They were so perfect together, that she feared any other scenario.

"Are you ready?" Lily asked, looking at her.

"Let's do this," she replied, shaking out her curls and putting on her shoes, "Mina, Jo, we're leaving!" Sam called into the bathroom, more out of duty than desire.

"Alright," they each yelled back, "Have fun,"

"Yeah, you too!" Sam replied, rolling her eyes, "Go," she said to Lily, eager to be gone.

Lily smiled at her, then opened the door. She motioned for Sam to go first, and she did. Over the rail, she spied Sirius and James, both of whom jumped up as they opened the door. Sirius crossed the room quickly and took her arm at the bottom.

"Damn," he said, and she couldn't help but feeling as if the dress had been a rather good one to wear. He looked absolutely gorgeous in his black coat and pants. She couldn't believe that he had been waiting here for her.

"You two look so pretty," Jamie said, looking up from her station on Remus' lap. It was already evident that those two had been snogging. Jamie sort of smiled and stood up, pulling Remus up with her. She looked like an actress at an awards ceremony, what with her deep blue gown and long, swishy blonde hair.

"You, too," Sam said, not really thinking about much else than the pressure of Sirius' hand against her back, and the swoony feeling in her head. She knew she was smiling like an idiot, but couldn't stop.

"Thanks," Jamie said.

"Ready?" James hadn't spoken yet, just staring at Lily. Sam thought she could relate to the feeling he was having right now, the incredulous sensation of being with someone seemingly so beyond yourself.

"Where's Peter?" Lily spoke.

"Oh, well, he didn't get a date," said Sirius.

"Oh, he still could have come!" said Lily, cheerfully.

"I don't think he was really up for it," said James, "he was kind of beaten up after the third year turned him down."

"That's a wee bit creepy," said Sam, wrinking her nose at the thought of being asked by a seventeen year old in her third year. She would have been scarred. She looked up and found that they were now standing outside of the Great Hall. The doors were propped open, allowing easy entrance into a most beautiful scene.

There were twelve trees, six on each side of the hall, so massive that their great green tips touched the indefinite ceiling of the great hall. Each had been decorated to represent one of the twelve days of Christmas. Ther was one with hundreds of glass partridges, garlands of tiny pears, another outfitted in thousands of gold rings. Little silver and gold milking buckets and glass milk maids adorned yet another. The classic candles still hung from the ceiling, but mixed with them were snow flakes, hundreds of little magical ones that never made it to the ground, and never made it cold. The windows seemed to be covered in icy frost that acted as a decoration, even the floor was covered with the frost patterns, which reflected beautifully in the candlelight.

"Oh my..." Lily sighed, as James led her into the hall. In the middle was a golden dance floor, where already what seemed to be the entirety of the school was dancing.

"This is amazing," breathed Jamie, and everyone nodded.

"Do you want to dance?" asked Remus, holding his hand down to her. Jamie took it and followed him out to the dance floor, where he twirled her about to the tune of a waltz.

"May I have this dance?" asked Sirius of Sam, who smiled at him and nodded. Sirius guided her out to the floor and they too, began dancing. She lost sight of James and Lily, but it hardly mattered. She knew Lily could-- that Lily would-- take care of herself. For now she let herself enjoy the smell of the pines, the rustle of dresses, the general feeling of insane joy.

She smiled and looked into the eyes of the man with which she was currently dancing. Sirius' grey eyes grinned back as the magic snow swirled around his dark hair. He was so...wonderful to look at, she wondered how she had ever spent time not around him.

"You look so damn beautiful," he whispered in her ear, ducking his head so it was right by her neck. She smiled.

"Thank you," she replied as he twirled her under his arm. She could tell by the change in beat of the song that it was coming to a close. She flung herself out into the dance floor so she was still holding his hand, then he pulled her back to him, so that she spun until she couldn't any longer, now wrapped in his arms. He looked down at her again.

"Want to walk?" he asked, pulling her towards the exit.

"Yeah," she said decisively. She was rather disgusted with her dress because it minimized her leg movement, and therefore her usual broad stride. Walking slowly made her uncomfortable. She snuck a glance at Sirius, infinitely striking in his black coat and pants, the stark white shirt. He seemed to be musing something, "Penny for your thoughts?"

"Oh," he looked at her, "Just incredulous that someone like you would care to be seen with someone like me."

She was so shocked that she nearly stopped walking. He had it all backwards.

"You're crazy," she told him finally.

"Probably," he said, smiling brilliantly and pulling her towards him, "But I'm lucky."

"We'll see," Sam muttered, good-naturedly.

They had stopped, paused beside the lake. It was still and beautiful, the moon reflecting perfectly.

"Hey," he said suddenly, "You want to see something?"

"What?" she asked, looking at him again. He had this mischievious grin that made her want to blush or run or kiss him. She decided on blushing.

"C'mon," he said, taking her hand and pulling her down the path that led to Hogsmeade, "I just got it yesterday. I haven't shown anyone, either," he said, as she fell into stride with him, "I want to show you."

There was something undeniably satisfying about being the one with which someone shares their secrets. Sirius had the Marauders, he could have had anyone, and yet here she was, hurrying off of school grounds in the middle of an exceptionally balmy Christmas Eve night, so he could show her his secret.

They walked for a while, mostly in silence, enjoying the moon and stars and the static between them.

"Where are we going?" she asked finally, recognising the familiar skyline of Hogsmeade town.

"You'll see," he sqeezed her hand as they approached one of the outermost buildings. It was not a house, not a shop, just a sort of storage garage. Sam suddenly felt very stupid dor coming to a strange place, alone, with no one to hear her. But she trusted Sirius more than she had trusted anyone else. He made her feel safe an secure--so much that she didn't want to leave.

Sirius approached the door, and muttered something, tapping it with his wand. The door opened. Inside, there was everything. A large club, a broken wand, something that looked like a dragon skin, a very large bottle containing some black liquid, a rusty helmet to a suit of armor. But at the forefront was an object cvered by a white sheet. Sirius aprroached it.

"There's a bloke here who keeps it for me," he explained, "It just came, but I didn't have anywhere else for it," he whipped off the sheet, revealing a beautiful black motorcycle. Sam felt her jaw drop. It was very long, with two big wheels, which were very glossy. All of its internal parts were visible, each exceptionally black and exceptionally shiny.

"What do you think?"

She looked at him, and saw that he was looking at her rather hopefully.

"It's so _pretty,"_ she breathed, staring at it again, "Can I touch it?"

He threw his head back and laughed hard, then nodded at her, so she ran a careful hand over the gleaming chrome handlebars. He cleared his throat, and she looked up.

"I was actually hoping you'd want to ride it," he was staring at her. It was an invitation, a dare, and she would take it.

"I'm not reall sure I'm dressed for such an occasion," she said. In the moonlight, her gown shimmered, down the length of her body, to the ground. He grinned again.

"But you want to ride it?"

She nodded, "I'd love to, but I don't know how. You'd have to teach me."

He was staring at her, and she stared back. The way he was smiling, his mouth pulled up on one side, his eyes shining with that kind of disobedience that only seventeen-year-old boys can muster, with an air of having heard or seen her do something rather provacative, made her have the sudden thought that perhaps he wasn't just talking about the motorcycle.

"I mean..." she tried lamely to rectify the situation, but he moved towards her, and besides, she wasn't really sure that she wanted him to be clear.

"Here," he said finally, kneeling and grabbing the hem of the gown. With a satisfying rip, he tore it neatly up her leg, so that it opened right below her hip. He was staring at her bare leg now, but somewhere along the way, she forgot to blush. She was so excited at the prospect of riding the bike that she almost forgot to care. Finally, Sirius stood up and stood back, and she straddled the bike, most of her skirt going to one side, her bare leg on the other.

"Well?" he said.

"It feels good," she said. It really did. The handlebars were cold, but warmed almost instantly to her touch, it moved easily, loosely, but with a lot of control.

"Alright," he stood behind her, "Turn it on."

She turned the small key in the ignition, and the engine roared to life.

His face was right beside her's, his breath on her neck. He turned his face towards her's, but something made her want to leave. She urged the motorcycle forward and she careened down the road, the engine thundering. At the end of the path, she swung it to a stop. The bike turned around in a semi-circle so that she was facing back the way she came. The adrenaline rush was exceptionally intense, and the exhilaration spurred her to steer the bike back to the garage in a rather reckless, if not severly enjoyable manner. She stopped right at Sirius' feet.

"Have you ridden before?" he asked, and she shook her head, "No? You're really decent," he told her.

"Thanks," she smiled vastly, dismounting the bike.

"Yeah, but this bike is special," the wicked grin was back, and he straddled the bike, twisting the handlebars so the the engine roared, "Get on."

Sam didn't hesitate, but swung her leg over the bike, wrapping her arms around Sirius' back. She watched his hand as it wandered towards a small golden button that she hadn't seen before.

"What does--?"

He pressed it, and Sam felt the wheels of the bike leave the ground. He revved the engine and they chugged forward into the sky.

"It's flying!" she laughed in surprise, and he turned back to look at her.

"Do you like it?" he asked.

"Yes!" her voice rose now because the wind was picking up around them. He smiled and tore off into the sky. She wasn't sure how long they had been flying aimlessly around in the night air when they finally landed back near the garage. Sirius jumped off, and she did too, but a bit reluctantly, and he wheeled it back into the garage. She helped him replace the sheet, and stepped out as he closed the door.

"What did you think?" he said, turning to face her.

She didn't answer immediately, but took his hand and led him back down the road which they had come. He snaked his arm around her waist, "Well?" he asked again.

"Where did you get that?" was the first thing in her mind.

He laughed, "I bought it from a bloke I knew. Or someone in my family did. He really wasn't supposed to have it, seeing as he had bewitched it to fly and whatnot. And the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts had it out for him, so I was able to get it off him for not a lot."

Sam bit her lip, "Won't they look for you now?"

"Honestly, can you imagine me? On the run from the law? I mean, look at me," he took a step back from her, so that she could have a proper view. He smiled in this crooked way that made her knees hurt, "Could I be a criminal?"

They had stopped walking, and with a quick glance around, she now realised that they had deviated from the path. They were no longer walking through the road, but through the thin veil of balding trees on either side. The moon shone down in patches, casting shadows and highlights about them.

Upon his request, she stared at him now: his jacket slung over his shoulder, with an air of nonchalance so sexy, it should have been illegal. His hair was mussed from the riding, and his shirt was wrinkled and unbuttoned farther down than it should have been. Sam had to credit herself. Her arms wrapped around his torso as they rode through the air had probably done some damage. Either way, it allowed her a view of his broad, muscular chest, sheeny with a layer of sweat. He caught her staring at his open shirt and grinned hugely.

"That was the best time I've had in a while," she said finally, still shaking what was left of the adrenaline from her head. Her vision was still almost tinted with it, so she blinked a few times, "Thank you."

"You're welcome."

The mischievious grin had returned, as had her three options. But she didn't want to blush anymore, nor did she want to run. So she reached out, grabbed his shirt, and kissed him. It was actually very close to insanity, she thought, that she hadn't kissed him in nearly a month and a half. It didn't matter now, she was kissing him now, with a hunger that one has after being starved for nearly a month and a half.

He threw his jacket down and grabbed her waist, tipping her backwards in his eagerness. She started to laugh in dizzy bliss, the feeling of the blood rushing to her head nearly made her pass out, but he righted her in time. She already felt his tongue at her lips, and she acquiesced instantly, opening her mouth. His tongue darted inside, back out, and she knew he was waiting for her to respond. Again, she did so instantly, her own tongue finding its way into his mouth. He was moving her backwards, and she felt some sort of solid object behind her, a tree at her back. He pressed his body against hers, and she arched her back up to meet his.

She kissed him harder, and he responded with equal intensity. His hands moved down from her waist, onto her hips, one on the bare skin, the other touching fabric. She felt him smile as she nibbled his bottom lip lightly. Then she grabbed his face with both of her hands, but found with certain disappointment that he couldn't be any closer.


	13. The After Party

_Still don't own any characters that you recognise--except Samantha Tchaikovsky, you might start recognising her now._

* * *

_Okee Dokes, here's the deal. I love you all very much, but I love knowing what you think of my chapters even more!!! So, if any of you feel it within your spacious hearts to leave me a review, that would be phenomenal. If, you feel that your heart is a few sizes too small to do this, you may consider stealing the Christmas presents from a small town, nearly dumping them off the top of a high and particularly scraggly mountain, and ending your busy days by carving Roast Beast. Word on the street is this helps your heart grow. I don't know. This is sort of a follow up to The Parade. An epilogue of sorts. Things get fun from here. Oh yeah. _

_Also, I would like to say that I often mix between the British and American spellings of words. I apologise/apologize. I read a lot of British books, and therefore the spellings are in my head that way, but I live in the US, so there's a bit of a clash there._

_Really, any comment is wonderful and appreciated!_

_Love Always,_

_Fae_

**The After Party**

"We should go," said Lily. Well, it was more of a moan, but at least she said it. She forced herself up with her hands and rolled off of James' chest, her back landed on the floor of the Forbidden Forest.

"You really want to?" James asked, looking over at her. His glasses were askew, a few pine needles in his hair. His shirt was unbuttoned down the front, and Lily wondered faintly if she had done that. The thought soon escaped her, only that his chest was very nice to look at.

"No," she admitted, pushing herself up so that she was at least sitting, "But we should."

"Alright," James jumped up and buttoned his shirt quickly. Lily watched him do it. He offered his hand to her and pulled her up. However, he pulled her with a bit too much energy and she was forced into him. She looked up at him, and he smiled, "Hello stranger," he said, taking her face in his hands and kissing her once, twice, three times, gently, softly, and when he pulled away, she desperately wanted more.

"You still want to leave?" he asked, looking at her victoriously.

"C'mon," she sighed, fighting the want to kiss him again...and again...and probably again.

"Wait--" James grabbed her arm. He suddenly looked very shy, "Lily, would you want to, well, go, you know, out with me, sometime?"

She had never heard him stutter so much asking that question. Nor had she ever wanted to say yes.

"I'd love to," she said, and he smiled, pulled her back to him and kissed her again.

"You don't know how long I've waited to hear that," he said, moving a piece of hair behind her ear.

* * *

"Sirius," Sam gasped as he kissed her neck.

"Mm?" his lips lingered on the place where her pulse throbbed. She wondered if he could feel it beating faster.

"We can't stay here all night," she argued fairly, fighting the clouding her mind was going through. He was kissing her shoulders, her collar bone, back up to her neck.

"Why?" he demanded, but deliberately cut off her argument by kissing her soundly on the lips.

"It's not that I don't want to..." she murmured into his lips.

"Then let's stay,"

It was simple reasoning, and for a moment, there was little more Sam wanted to do than listen to his ridiculously elementary logic and stay here, on the side of a road, kissing him all night. She fought the thought back though, and pushed him lightly away. She regretted it instantly. It felt bizzare not to have his mouth on her's.

"We should go back."

He searched her eyes.

"Fine," he said, grabbing his jacket from the ground. He took her arm in the most modest and gentlemanly manner that there ever was, leading her down the road, back to the castle.

"Thanks," she said finally.

"For?" he asked innocently, looking at her, though his eyes were anything but innocent. Looking at him made her feel as if she had forgotten to get dressed, and she even looked down to make sure her dress was still in place. It was.

"For showing me your bike," she said, "and letting me ride it."

"Oh, that's all?" he looked back down the road. She blushed and moved ahead down the road, though she still held his hand.

"What else did we do?" she mocked his tone of innocence, chancing a glance behind her at him. He was watching her figure. He traced the lines of her body back up to her face. It wasn't the look she had been expecting. Sure, there was still some of the wicked glint, but there was something else there, too, "What?" she asked him mechanically.

"Nothing," he said, looking straight at her. They had reached the beginnings of the Hogwarts grounds. On their right was Hagrid's hut, and behind that the Forbidden Forest, a black silhouette in the shining moon sky. It wasn't full yet, but in a few days, it would be. The lake was still shining, and the few blocks of hedges and spare trees in the innermost grounds cast shadows onto the dying grass.

"What time is it?" she asked. He looked at the sky.

"Probably about eleven thirty," he said.

"They want us back in our dormitories in an hour and a half," she said, almost wistfully. It had been undoubtedly the best night of her life, and there was something in her stomach that ached at the thought of it being over.

It was quiet again. They had stopped behind a tall shrub. It was starting to get chilly again and Sam rubbed her arms against her shoulders.

"The magic must be wearing off," she said.

"Are you cold?" he looked at her, "Here," he began to shrug off his jacket.

"Don't worry about it," she said.

"Are you sure?" The intense gaze had returned, and she found she didn't have the power to meet it.

"Yes," She turned towards the castle, which was another silhouette, but it was studded by light in each window. She needed to look anywhere then back at him.

"Take my jacket," he said, wrapping the garment about her shoulders, "you're shivering. Don't be ridiculous."

It was warm and comforting, to have that black fabric draped around her, and, of course, the smell of his cologne lingered on the lining.

She chanced another look at him. He was looking up at the moon.

"Sirius," her voice was a whisper hardly bigger than the breeze.

"Yeah?"

"What were you going to ask me? That first day on the train over, you said you had never had a chance to ask me something. What was it?"

"I never asked you," he said looking at her, "I never got to ask you...if you liked your last name."

She raised her eyebrows, "Come again?"

"Your last name, do you like it?"

"Yes," she said, "I like my last name."

"Oh."

"Well, then, I'm glad that's cleared up," she said in a rather business-like manner. She wondered if it was a lie...it had to be a lie! Who would want to know that? And he had said he had never had the chance...who wouldn't have the time to say 'do you like your last name?' Admittedly, she had wanted him to ask her out. Anywhere, it didn't matter....

"Me too," he said, looking back up at the moon.

"Well I guess we should be heading back inside," she sighed, moving out across the grounds. Sirius walked beside her. They were half-way to the stairs when movement across the grounds caught Sam's eye. Sirius had seen it too. Perhaps a hundred yards away, two people were moving towards them. Though it was night time, she knew who it was.

"Lily," Sam said, in way of greeting as they finally made it to them. Lily's dress was askew, there were smudges of dirt on it, and her hair was falling down.

"Oh, hello," returned Lily, blushing gently.

"Padfoot,"

"Prongs."

"Nice dress, Tchaikovsky," James smirked. Sam looked down and saw the incriminating rip up her leg, "I don't remember it being like that when I saw you last."

"Nice hair, Potter," Sam replied, picking out a pine needle from his hair, "I don't remember you wearing the Forbidden Forest floor last time I saw you."

"Touche," James muttered. They all shifted uncomfortably. Sam noticed there was a closeness between Lily and James that there had never been before. It was very cute.

"Well, there's no point in pretending like we weren't off snogging each other," said Sirius, finally, more to break the silence than anything. They all nodded in assent.

"That still doesn't explain the rip," Lily spoke innocently, looking at Sam with accusing eyes. Oh God, did Lily actually think that she and Sirius...?

"I believe he said snogging," returned Sam, looking back at Lily.

"Still doesn't require ripping clothes."

"Doesn't require being anywhere but in a standing position either," Sam retorted. Both boys laughed, their minds veering quickly to the gutter.

"Oh come on!" demanded Lily and Sam at the same time, looking at their two escorts with equal disbelief.

"Sorry," James coughed, and smirked at Sirius. Sam rolled her eyes at Lily.

* * *

They were all standing in the Common Room, facing each other. The room was deserted, except for their foursome. No one knew where Remus or Jamie had gone, and all of the younger children had nearly collapsed on their way back from the ball. Sirius was shifting between his feet, and Sam wouldn't meet his eyes. Lily however, kissed James lightly on the lips.

"Good night," she said, smiling at him. It felt good to have someone to kiss her goodnight.

"Good night," he said, grinning back, "Sam," he nodded at the other girl.

"James," Sam smirked at the eloquence of their conversations.

"G'night Sam,"

"'Night," Sam said to Sirius. They all stood a moment more before Sam turned away first to go upstairs to their dormitories. Lily didn't move, just stood looking at James. She heard Sam sigh hugely, turn around, and grab her arm. Lily stumbled back a bit, but followed Sam up the stairs to the dormitory.

"He'll still be there tomorrow," she huffed, nearly dragging Lily behind her. And he would. That was the part that made Lily utterly joyful. James was going to be there for her tomorrow, and the day after that. He had said that he would stay with her after school. She would have someone to kiss her goodnight for a long time after.

"I know," she sighed, closing the door behind them. Sam had already changed out of her dress and was tying the drawstring of her plaid pajama pants. Lily stripped down and threw on a big t-shirt. She hopped up onto her bed, and Sam came over and sat on the foot of it, "So... your dress?"

Sam glared at her, "He took me to ride a motorcycle."

"A motorcycle?" Lily stared at her.

"Yeah," Sam groaned, falling back onto the bed, "You're not supposed to know though..."

"Message received. I won't tell anyone," Lily smiled at her, "And then?"

"Then we were walking back and I kissed him. And well, you know, we were sort of off the side of the road, snogging and whatnot."

"Aw," Lily looked at Sam. She knew how much she liked Sirius. It was evident that he returned the feelings, so she was confused why Sam wasn't looking delighted.

"Then we walked back," Sam continued, and I was cold so he gave me his jacket."

"Chivalrous," commented Lily, nodding.

"Yeah, it was nice."

"What's wrong?" Lily groaned finally. Sam's face was so dejected, it was almost bringing down Lily's joy. Almost. Sam was quiet for a second then:

"When we were on the train, he said that he had never had the chance to ask me something."

"Did he ask you out?" Lily asked gleefully.

"No!" Sam griped, "I asked him tonight what it was that he wanted to ask..."

"And?"

"And...and...he asked me if I liked my last name," she nearly wailed.

"Huh?"

"That's what I said!" Sam propped herself up on her elbow, "He just wanted to ask me _that?_"

"Oh, Sam, I'm sorry," Lily placed a hand on her shoulder.

"It's okay, I just, really, really wanted him to ask me out. I don't know why," she added despondantly.

"Because you like him?" prompted Lily.

"Probably," Sam said, glancing at her, "What about you?"

"Well, he asked me to take a walk, so we did. It was nice," Lily started out, "and then we started talking about jobs after school and such."

"Romantic," said Sam sourly.

"Shut up. Anyway, he said that he was going to be an Auror, so he could work with me."

"Oh, that really is romantic," Sam allowed, smiling slightly.

"Yes, and then we kissed,"

"And the pine needle?"

Lily blushed.

"We may have ended up on the ground."

"Lils!" said Sam in a scandalized tone.

"I know," Lily sighed, "and then he asked me out."

"To which you said..."

"Yes!" Lily looked at her, "Of course."

Sam looked at her a moment, then smiled.

"You two are going to make the cutest kids."

* * *

"So, you and Evans, eh?" Sirius looked across the room at James, "Wound up on the ground."

James grinned, "Yeah, she was great. How about Nutcrakcer? Finally a legitimate snog?"

"Yeah," Sirius smiled, "It was legitimate."

"And how many illegitimate children are you going to have now, because of that?" James laughed.

"Ha, you're a funny man, you know that?"

"Twins?"

"Shut up," Sirius looked very downcast suddenly, "She would never let it go that far."

"Are you disappointed or something?" James raised an eyebrow. He had been actually surprised to see Samantha Tchaikovsky's skirt ripped up to her hip. Not that she was priggish, just that it would have been exceptionally unexpected.

"Not really," Sirius said, looking as if he was considering, "I mean, it's not like _I_ didn't want to, but I wouldn't have unless she was alright with it."

James looked at him impressed, "Padfoot, I believe that is a step forward for you."

"I know,"

"Though Sam, she looked pretty disappointed. Have you lost your touch?" James fell onto his bed.

"Hell no," said Sirius, "it's that, well, I think she wanted me to ask her out."

"You didn't?" James was incredulous. He knew that Sirius cared for Sam. It made no sense that he wouldn't ask her out. Hell, he had asked out that one girl, Izzy O'Keefe their third year after looking at her for a second.

"No," Sirius moaned, "I don't know why."

"Neither do I," said James, "And I'll be she doesn't either."

"You're sounding more and more like Moony every day," said Sirius, glaring at him, "I don't know what happened. I had her on the grounds and she was cold, so I gave her my jacket."

"Nice,"

"Yeah, knew you'd like that. She did, too, and then she asked me something."

"Which was?"

"Well, that first day on the train over, when you were down meeting with McGonagall?"

James nodded.

"Moony suggested that I go over there and apologise for barging in on her earlier, so I did. And when I got in there, Jesus she looked so cute. She was drawing and whatnot, and I told her I was sorry, and I thought, well, what the Hell? I'll ask her out right now, no harm, right? But then Evans came in and Sam had to comfort her, so I never had the chance to ask."

"So?"

"So tonight, after I gave her my jacket, she asked me what I was going to ask her that day."

"But you didn't tell her?"

"No. I asked her if she liked her last name."

"WHAT?" James sat up, looking at his best friend in complete disbelief. He started laughing.

"No, I couldn't think of anything else to say, man! I completely froze."

"You? Froze?" James laughed harder, "I don't think I've heard that from you before."

"Yeah, me neither," said Sirius in disgust.

"But honestly, you couldn't have come up with something better?"

"I don't know," Sirius complained, "I just was looking at her, and she looked so damn beautiful tonight, and I just couldn't...couldn't..."

"Couldn't what?" James demanded. He had honestly never heard Sirius so lost for words. James himself had always been smooth with girls, but Sirius was a hundred times better. He had never once not known what to say, and somehow it ended up being just what the girls wanted hear.

"Couldn't have her say no."

"But she wouldn't have said no!" James argued.

"You don't know!"

"Yes," he argued, "She likes you, man, a lot! All of the girls do."

"I don't care about them," he said dismissively, "Screw the lot, but Sam, she's different."

"No, she still likes you. And now..."

"And now she doesn't?"

"I don't know, she seemed pretty pissed at you," James said, turning off his light.

"Yeah, I screwed it up, didn't I?"

"For the first time in your life, I think so," James told him as Sirisu tuned off his own lamp. They were left in darkness.

"How about Evans?" came Sirius' voice.

What about Lily? Lily was perfect, Lily was everything that James had ever wanted, and a thousand times more. Lily was beautiful, smart, funny, amazing...

"I asked her out," he said simply, "She said yes," he added.

"Good for you," said Sirius, "She really digs you."

Did she? She had said yes. She obviously didn't hate him anymore, right?

"Maybe," he said aloud. It was quiet again. The whole castle was silent, waiting for the last day of break to be upon them.

"She said she liked it," Sirius spoke.

"Hmm?" James said absently, remembering how Lily had kissed him.

"Sam, she said she liked her last name."

James was quiet, not understanding.

"She's not going to give it up," Sirius continued, and James had the faint thought that he may be talking in his sleep.

"I don't understand," James said, humoring himself. He could remember talking up Pete one night when he was talking in his sleep. Peter had told James that he was planning on buying three dragons and hitching them to a small wagon and flying away. It was quite funny.

"She isn't going to give it up for just anyone if she likes it," Sirius continued, and there was a definite groggy tone in his voice. James understood in a moment.

"You mean getting married?"

"Yeah, she isn't going to give it up--"

"Padfoot, go to sleep, man."

Sirius didn't talk again, and soon he was snoring. But what he had said slowly sunk into James' brain. Getting married had crossed his mind a few times. Mostly, he imagined that it would be difficult to find someone he loved and have them love him back...not just love him for his money, which he had been planning on having quite a bit of, considering he was aiming to be a professional Quidditch Seeker. But now...now he was going to be an Auror, he was going to spend his life protecting Lily Evans. There wasn't a doubt in his mind that there was any other job for him.

What better way to protect her than to live with her? Be married to her? He knew he loved her...but did she love him back? Hell, they had only just started dating tonight. But it was enough, he told himself, it was more than enough to convince him. He smiled as he thought of her giving up her last name for his. Maybe Sirius' question of Sam hadn't been completely ridiculous.

James fell asleep and dreamt he was walking behind Lily down the street. It was raining and they stepped into a little store. He wasn't sure where they were, but the woman behind the desk was asking for Lily's name.

"Potter," Lily said, "Lily Potter."


	14. The Swing of Things

_Still don't own any characters that you recognise--except Samantha Tchaikovsky, you might start recognising her now._

* * *

_Hello, all, I know it has been a while since I last updated, and I apologise. So, sorry. School started back up, and, well, here we are. Thanks for sticking with me, and I hope this sparks some interest. I don't know if you've noticed, but Sam and Sirius are probably my favorite couple. Don't get me wrong, I'm in love with James and Lily, too, but we all know what happens there. The chapter after this is in the works. It is a BIG one (as in, important, I'm not sure of the size.) _

_Also, I would like to say that I often mix between the British and American spellings of words. I apologise/apologize. I read a lot of British books, and therefore the spellings are in my head that way, but I live in the US, so there's a bit of a clash there._

_Really, any comment is wonderful and appreciated!_

_Love Always,_

_Fae_

**The Swing of Things**

The first day back to classes resulted in a load of homework and Quidditch practises. Their next match versus Hufflepuff would be the next week. Sam however, was not concerned with Quidditch or her grades, which were near perfect. She was worrying about Sirius Black.

He hadn't spoken to her, except when decorum required it (the occasional muttered Good Morning, or How are you? were all that she received from him.) And yet, in every one of her classes, Sam felt him staring at her. When she would look up, he would catch her eye for a second, then look quickly away. It made no sense. Silently, she cursed herself for caring so much. She had never pictured herself as the kind of girl to fantasize about boys during classes. And yet there she sat, replaying ever angle of her night with Sirius, over and over and over.

Had she done something wrong? Had she said anything that would remotely suggest she didn't love--well, like, right? She just liked--him? No, she finally decided , she had done everything perfectly. He was a complete pansy. Slowly, Sam found herself reverting to her original detestation of Sirius Black.

By dinner time on their first Monday back, she had (nearly) completely forgotten him.

"...and so he wants to take me to Hogsmede this weekend."

Sam came out of her thoughts to hear this last bit of Lily's conversation.

"Will this be your first real date?" Sam asked her, focusing on Lily's face. Ever since she and James had been "going out" Lily's eyes had been shinier, more brilliant, her entire being seemed to glow. However, Sam found she was not in the mood for an "I told you so" moment. Maybe later.

"Yes," Lily smiled shyly.

James had been faithfully walking Lily to class every day. It wasn't saying too much of him, seeing as he nearly had all of the same classes, but the gesture was appreciated by Lily. Tonight was a rare occasion when they were not all eating dinner together. After any dinner though, Lily and James would hole up in the common room and do their homework together, Lily reclined lightly against James' chest, James looking as though there was nothing better than being a back rest for Lily Evans.

"What are you planning to do?" Sam asked her, poking dryly at her steak.

"I don't know, talk, I guess?" Lily supposed.

"I'm sure it will be fun, Lils," Sam said. In the interim of their conversation, her eyes glanced down along the table to Sirius' figure. He was talking to the rest of the Marauders, paying no attention to her. However, Sam looked a moment too long, and Remus nudged Sirius, gesturing at Sam. She adverted her eyes immediately.

Damn it.

She hadn't looked at him all day, and now she had broken her streak. She would have to start again tomorrow. It occurred to her that perhaps this was how alcoholics or junkies felt--slowly trying to wean themselves of their addiction, one day at a time. But Sirius wasn't a drug. He was a seventeen-year-old pansy disguised as a painfully attractive boy. Pansies reminded her of petunias, which reminded her of poppies though, and didn't people make Opium out of Poppies? And wasn't opium a drug? So maybe, Sirius was a drug.

Oh God, she was going crazy. No sane person would have had that chain of thoughts. But wasn't insanity another side effect of breaking oneself from an addiction?

Bloody Hell.

"Nutcracker,"

Sam turned around to see James standing behind her.

"Potter,"

"Don't forget we have a practise tonight, right after dinner."

"What?"

"Well, I've felt that our performances have been a little sketchy at other practises, so I decided that we need to put in more time."

"James, it's the end of December. It's dark and it's cold and I think it's raining."

"A good Quidditch player can withstand the elements," James smirked at her, citing Sirius' words to her at thier Quidditch tryouts.

"Do you want us all to die? Are you that pissed at us?"

"No," James relented running a reluctant hand trough his hair, "Just...just please be there, Nutcrakcer."

"I will," Sam griped, turning around.

"Lily, I'm sorry, you'll have to work without me tonight."

"That's fine," Lily beamed at him. Sam had the thought that Lily only ever beamed at James anymore, "Don't worry about it."

"You're the best," James said, looking like he wanted to jump across the table and kiss her. Sam was eternally grateful when Lily didn't say "No, you're the best," back to him.

"Just remember that we have rounds at nine," Lily added. Sam glanced at the clock. It was six right now.

"I'll be back in time," James promised. The only comfort to Sam was that he wouldn't make them practise for more than two and a half hours, "Oh, and Nutcracker?"

"Yes?"

"Why do you keep staring at Sirius?"

It was obviously a rhetorical question because James laughed and dodged her fist.

"Ten minutes, Nutcracker, down at the pitch," he called behind him.

"I'll see you later," Sam grumbled, pushing away her food and standing.

"Have...er..."

"Yeah, not fun." Sam said, smiling slightly and exiting the hall. In their dormitory she dressed quickly in her Quidditch pants and sweater, leaving her showy and billowy robes behind, and instead adding a few other thin shirts beneath the sweater, her boots and her gloves.

As she made her way down to the pitch, she happily ran into Jamie, who was only a few steps ahead of her.

"Hey," Sam said.

"Hey," Jamie turned around and paused so that Sam could catch up to her.

"Ridiculous, huh?" Sam motioned to the impending gloom.

"Hah," Jamie gave a sad sort of half-laugh, "Do you think James thinks we're really that lousy?"

"No, I think he's nervous," Sam said, pulling out her wand and lighting it. She pointed the thin beam at the ground to guide them, "He really wants to win before we leave."

Jamie nodded. They finally reached the pitch, which had been lit--badly--but still somehow lit to illuminate a small portion of the playing field. James was already in the center of the pitch, with the trunk of playing balls, and a stack of brooms. She saw Veronica bringing out another broom and putting it on the pile. The rest of the team had already assembled.

"Alright, gather round team," James said, and they all formed a semi-circle around him, "It's cold. It's dark. But we have a match in three days. If we win, we'll take a lead over everyone. Slytherin plays Ravenclaw tomorrow, and if Ravenclaw wins, we'll be nearly two hundred points over Slytherin."

"Which sets us up for the Cup," Sam surmised.

"Exactly," James nodded at her, "Now, like I said, it's cold and dark, so we're going to make this short. Chasers with Veronica, Beaters with me, Zimmerman, you'll be with Veronica, too. Let's go."

Sam, Jamie, and Zimmerman all followed Veronica to the far end of the field. She picked up the quaffle gingerly and threw it at Sam. She caught it, but it was very close to her face.

"Let's go. Just shooting tonight. Ten goals each. Zimmerman, get up in post," Veronica pointed a gloved hand, "Three passes minumum before shooting, got it Tchaikovsky? Yates?" Both girls nodded as Zimmerman took his broom to the middle post.

Sam mounted her own broom just after Jamie and took off to the midfield, the quaffle tucked securely under her arm. She passed it quickly to Jamie, who immediately returned it.

"Let's make this quick," she muttered to Sam as she passed it off to her.

"Agreed," Sam nodded as she shot at Zimmerman. He missed it cleanly. As Sam turned to return to midfield, she heard a strange whizzing behind her. She dodged the bludger just in time.

"Cooper, what the hell?" she asked, looking back at her teammate.

"Captain?" Cooper looked back at James, who was looking at Veronica.

"Oh, and the beaters will be, well, beating things towards you," she added.

"Better late than never," Sam returned, shooting off downfield. She made to shoot, but passed to Jamie instead, who scored, "C'mon, Zimm," she shouted encouragingly, while secretly wanting him to miss every goal. She really wanted to get back into the castle.

So it continued until, at eight goals each, James called stop. They all landed in the middle, Cooper and Robinson wrestled the bludgers back into their straps, and Veronica placed the docile quaffle into its allotted space.

"Right, well, well done. It's cold, and I don't want anyone sick, so let's go," James said, and Sam hung back to walk with him. She saw him inconspicuously check his watch."

"You still gonna be on time?" she asked with a slightly mocking tone. He looked up at her guiltily and smiled.

"I think so," he said, as she fell into his stride.

"I think it's really great," she said finally, "You and Lily, I always told her..."

"Me too," James replied, "I mean, I always asked her. What changed her mind?"

Sam was quiet for a moment as she thought on the question. She had considered multiple times what had changed Lily's mind so abruptly. She hadn't ever asked her straight up, but she could read between the lines.

"She liked when you said you wanted to take care of her..." she stared cautiously, "Lily...Lily needs someone to take care of her."

"All women do," said James, smirking at her.

"Hah. Guys like to think that, don't they?"

"Well, if it's not true, we're really lost."

"Yeah," Sam laughed, "But it's really nice, James, she feels really good with you around. Safe, I think."

"Isn't that the way it should be?"

Sam thought back to that night with Sirius, and how safe she had felt. But that was obviously an anomoly, how everything had fallen through.

"Yeah, I think it is. But James,"

"Hmm?"

"I only say this because she's like a sister to me," Sam prefaced a bit self consciously, "Please don't hurt her, don't do anything that...well..." _Like Sirius did to me._

"Sam,"

"Hmm?"

"I only say this because I love her..."

Sam turned on him quickly. They were on the top stairs, ready to enter the castle.

"What?"

"I love her," he repeated simply, as if this were normal behaviour.

"James," Sam felt herself smiling giddily, "Are you telling the truth?"

"All of it," he said earnestly, "Don't tell her, Samantha, but, well, I've been thinking about it and, well..." he trailed off, sticking his hand into his robe pocket.

"Oh my," Sam said in a quiet voice.

* * *

"So how was practise?" Lily asked as James and Sam entered the common room. She looked over the couch back at them, smiling broadly at the sight of her boyfriend and her best friend.

"Fine," James said easily, approaching the couch.

"Sam?" Lily asked her friend who had been attempting to climb the stairs to the boy's dormitory.

"Yeah, good," she said distractedly, looking over the rail briefly. Lily heard that her voice was very high.

"Aren't you going to the wrong dormitory?" asked Lily.

"Oh, well, I have something I left in there..."

Lily's eyebrows shot up and roamed to Sirius, who was sitting in one of the chairs by the fire. He seemed to feel her eyes on him and looked up.

"Whoa, Evans, don't look at me," he said, putting his hands up.

"And I wouldn't be that sloppy," Sam added bitterly.

"It's you, Chop Suey, we can assume nothing less," Sirius said snidely.

"Yeah, I mean, I have a book that Remus was borrowing," Sam explained, disappearing momentarily as she slipped through the door. Lily looked around the common room and saw that Remus Lupin wasn't present to confirm or deny this story. James smiled warmly at her, and Lily returned the action as he swung himself over the back of the couch and down next to her.

"Hello," he said.

"Mmm," Lily replied, leaning heavily against his shoulder. He smelled like the cold air and wet that were outside. Lily looked up as Sam appeared out of the boy's dormitory, carrying a book.

"Ha," she said, "got it back!" she held up a transfiguration book.

"Good," said Lily, still sensing something was off. But James being next to her was distracting, and she ignored the suspicion in her mind, "So practise was fun, even though it was cold."

"It was fine," said Sam, sitting heavily in a chair opposite her companions.

"Did you fall off your broom, Chop Suey?" asked Sirius, looking up at her.

"No, Black, I'm actually quite good on a broom."

Sirius waggled his eyebrows.

"Not that you would ever have the chance to know," Sam added, tossing the book at him. It hit his chest, and Lily heard the wind knocked out of him. It was quite uncharacteristic of her to throw about her books in such a manner.

"Damn you, Tchaikovsky," said Sirius.

"Up yours, Black," Sam sneered. They both rose at the same time, gave each other an identical disparaging look, and stalked off to their respective rooms.

"Just when you thought things got better," sighed Lily, jumping a bit as the dormitory door slammed.

"They did," said James, looking down at her intensely. His arm tightened protectively around her shoulder.

"They did, didn't they?" asked Lily, just about to kiss him. He held his face a few inches from her own.

"We have rounds," he grinned, jumping up in an athletic movement. She had been resting so heavily on him that she lost her balance and almost fell into the couch coushin.

"Yeah," she grumbled, humoring at how they had almost switched roles in their relationship. Now she was the one wishing to skiive off their duties. She followed him out of the portrait hole and into the halls. They were drafty and rather noisy as a rain storm lashed outside.

"I guess we got inside in time," James commented, grabbing her hand in an easy fashion. There was no one there to witness this public display of possession, but Lily felt comforted by it. They made their way to the top floor, as they had for so many nights, "What if," James said, pulling her in an opposite direction than they usually went, "We take the night off."

Apparently they hadn't traded roles to such extremes.

"What else are we going to do?" asked Lily as he stopped in front of a large tapestry.

"I want to show you a special place," James said, releasing her hand and pacing in front of the tapestry. He went by once, twice, three times, and on the fourth pass, he stopped and grabbed her hand again. He pulled her towards the tapestry and pulled it back. Behind it was a small white door, "Interesting," she heard him mutter as he pushed it open.

"What is this?" Lily asked, crouching through the small portal. The room inside was unlike anything she had ever seen before in Hogwarts. The ceiling was low and eternally cozy, lit by a large, roaring blaze and numerous small, red candles that had all dripped down to low, hazy stubs, their wax forming in puddles on the flagstone floor, most of which was covered in thick, rich red rugs. There was a large setee, and a wide, low couch, both upholstered in plush burgundy velvet.

"A place I found," James said simply, "I believe we started something before we left," he said, clearing his throat and looking at her sideways. Lily felt a smile begin to creep across her mouth. It bloomed into a full fledged smile as James wrapped his arms around her waist and dipped her back, moving to kiss her soundly. She responded with all enthusiasm she could muster, every want, every need she had had to kiss James Potter flooded out of her and into her mouth, which moved with his. He moved her to the couch and sat down on it. Lily sat on top of him, on his lap, running her hands through his unmanageable hair, loving the way he smelled and tasted.

"I don't know if this counts as us doing rounds," she gasped, and felt him smile.

"Maybe not," he said, "But it isn't as if Voldemort is going to choose tonight to enter the castle."

"I guess you're right," she agreed, smiling as he moved her body underneath his own.

"I know I am."

* * *

Sam made her way down to the common room and up the other stairs to the seventh year boy's dormitory, dressed in a thin black tank top and red flannel plaid pajama pants. She was holding Remus Lupin's transfiguration book in one hand, her other clenched in a fist a poised to knock on the door. She took a breath and did so.

"Yeah?"

She pushed open the door and stepped inside. The lights were still on, and the remaining three Marauders were on their respective beds, all doing some last minute homework. With chagrin, she saw that both Sirius and Lupin's shirts were off, as this was apparently how they slept. Peter was already asleep on his bed, snoring. She sort of adverted her eyes from Sirius' muscular chest and stomach.

"Samantha," Lupin said, greeting her, grabbing a white tee shirt and jamming it over his head, "We thought you were James."

"Hey, um, I borrowed your book today, and I thought I'd return it," she said sheepishly, attempting to straighten the cover, which was bent from where it had impacted Sirius' chest. With his shirt off, she could see that she had left a bruise. She only saw it for a second before Sirius put his black shirt back on, "Sorry for uh, coming in when you weren't, decent..."

"Um, well, the best I can figure, it can count as payback," Remus smiled, "Why did you need my book?" he asked, taking the large volume back from her.

"Yeah," said Sirius, catching on, "What did you really need?"

"I really like transfiguration," she lied.

"You said it was yours though."

"So?"

"So, what did you really need?" Sirius pressed, looking at her intensely. She didn't speak, just pursed her lips and glared at him, "You and James aren't...?"

Her mouth came open with the effect of what he was implying, "Lily is my best friend, you bloody idiot. How could you even think that I would ever..."

"Alright, so it wasn't James," said Lupin quickly.

"Pete?" Sirius smirked.

"Please don't make yourself look any less intelligent than you already have proved to be," she said bitterly, leaning against the door frame, "If you must know, James had me bring something up here after practise that he didn't want Lily to see."

It was the closest thing to the truth that she could tell. And James had begged her not to tell any of the other Marauders about it. She was doing her best to keep mum, but it was proving very difficult, especially when the boy she really liked was accusing her of sleeping with his rat-like friend.

"Oh, speaking of..." Lupin swung himself out of bed and opened the side table. He pulled out a small black velvet box and tossed it to her. She caught it with careful hands, "I bought this for Jamie, I wanted to know what you thought. You know, a girl opinion and all."

She opened the hinged lid slowly and gasped as she saw a golden choker set with rows of fire opals.

"It's so pretty," she said in a whisper. Her head snapped up in a form of deja vu. That was exactly what she had said to Sirius the night that he had shown her his motorcycle. Her eyes met his, and she was sure she saw something smoldering in the black. She didn't have time to identify the emotion that flooded her when she met his eyes, there were others present in the room. Remus didn't seem to notice the exchange though.

"You think she'll like it?"

"Absolutely," she confirmed, closing the lid back over the exquisite piece of jewelry, "It's _otlichna,_" the Russian phrase for excellent escaped her mouth before she could stop it.

"It's what?" Sirius drew her gaze again with his disparaging voice.

"Otlichna," she repeated, "It means excellent."

"Why don't you just say excellent then?"

"Sorry you don't approve," she sneered at him, "Here," she said to Remus.

"Thanks," he said, catching the box again as she returned it.

"Yeah, see, James got Lily jewelry too," she said, "And he wanted my opinion tonight and then he had me take it back up to the room.

"It's fine, Sam, don't worry about it," Remus said kindly.

"Yeah, everything's atlaskitchna."

She couldn't honestly tell if he had butchered the word to mock her or not. She turned and exited the room, closing the door softly behind her. She had told them most of the truth. James had shown her some jewelry he had bought for Lily.

What she hadn't said was that it had been an engagement ring.


	15. Hufflepuff v Gryffindor

_Still don't own any characters that you recognise--except Samantha Tchaikovsky, you might start recognising her now._

* * *

_Right, well, we're off! I thought I'd get this next one out right away, but in fair warning, I have absolutely nothing written after it. So, I apologise if it takes a while for the next update. So here it is. I have some Russian in there, but it's the actual American Alphabet pronunciation. I know I wrote in cyrillic the first time, but I kind of ditched that idea. So yup! _

_Also, I would like to say that I often mix between the British and American spellings of words. I apologise/apologize. I read a lot of British books, and therefore the spellings are in my head that way, but I live in the US, so there's a bit of a clash there._

_Really, any comment is wonderful and appreciated!_

_Love Always,_

_Fae_

**Hufflepuff vs. Gryffindor**

James woke early on the morning of their second Quidditch match against Hufflepuff. For the past week he had been replaying that evening in the Room of Requirement in his head. He had taken Lily there, but it wasn't the well-stocked potions cupboard that the Marauders had once needed to transform to Animagi, nor was it the small, but accommodating cupboard the year that the caretaker had chased him through the castle when he was out past ten. That gloriously intelligent space had transformed itself into a veritable make-out room, complete with various sizes of couches.

He wasn't really quite sure what he had expected to happen, but what had happened was that Lily had somehow been stripped down to her bra, and he down to nothing except his jeans. But nothing had happened past that. He hadn't allowed it. Lily had seemed quite eager to move on, but something had made him stop things before they went too far. Maybe it was the hopeful knowledge that there was a possibility that one day, she would be his completely, and only his.

Whatever it was, it had made him push Lily up and button her shirt, kiss her once on her cheek, and take her by the hand back out into the hall. They had continued their rounds normally, except that there was a new tenderness between them. To his immense elation, it had not faded away.

He threw a pillow at Sirius, who started in his bed with a loud cry of, "Sam!"

James sat and stared as Sirius sat bolt upright, his eyes wild as if he had just seen something horrible.

"Sam?" James repeated, looking at him. Sirius blinked once, twice, then looked over at him.

"What the hell was that for?" he asked.

"You have to get up, man, we have the match soon."

"So?"

"Wake Moony up," James ordered him, moving into the bathroom. Moony had been exhausted recently, the full moon was coming up. His friend slept more than ever around this time, but no matter how long Moony slept, the black circles under his eyes wouldn't disappear. Not until after the moon had passed, started to wane back into the night.

Moony wasn't the only one who detested those bright moons, though. Ever since James, Sirius, and Peter had taken it upon themselves to help their friend, each had begun to find the round, glowing orb an object of deepest abhorrence. Nevertheless, every two weeks, they would each sneak out of the castle and transform into their animagi shapes--the origin of their otherwise ridiculous nicknames--and stand guard over Moony until his transformation was complete.

When James entered the bedroom again, all three other Marauders were up and in various stages of getting dressed. Sirius, too, was all ready for the day.

"You got Tchaikovsky on the mind?" James couldn't help instigating. Sirius looked at him with multiple daggers, while Moony looked up.

"What?"

"When I woke him up, he jumped up and yelled for Sam."

"What?" Moony looked beyond pleased.

"Shut up," Sirius said, but it sounded more like begging.

"No, that's a great step,"said Moony, nodding.

"A step in what?" Sirius asked, looking annoyed.

"Your relationship."

James saw something inside of Sirius snap. Unfortunately, it was at this same time that he saw Samantha Tchaikovsky standing in the doorway.

"I do not have a bloody relationship with that...that. Samantha Tchaikovsky is a right pain in my ass. I never should have kissed her that night, it was God awful, in fact. She's desperate and slutty, and she's lucky that I even looked twice at her."

"Padfoot," it was, in fact, Peter that spoke this time. Moony, Wormtail and James could all see Samantha from this vantage point. Sirius' was the only back facing her. All of the other Marauders were looking at Sam, whose mouth was hanging agape. Sirius turned around slowly.

"Sam," he said, looking horrified. She sort of stared through him, but James could see that, for the first time since he had known her, she looked as if she were about to cry. Her face was contorted, and she bit her lip hard.

"Veronica found me and sent me to tell you that the Hufflepuffs need to start the game earlier. In," she took a steadying breath, "half an hour." She locked eyes with James, who couldn't even begin to apologise for what had just been said. She nodded once then turned and made to exit quickly.

"Sam," Sirius reached out and grabbed her arm. She froze.

"You will let go of me. Now," Sam ordered in a tone that promised nothing less than a painful death if anyone failed to comply. Sirius released her arm. Sam stood there, finally turning to face him. Her eyes flashed, but there was a single tear hanging on her cheek. She swiped it away, appearing furious that anything had given her feelings away, "I don't know how much this will really mean, coming from a slutty, desperate pain in your ass after all, but I sure as hell don't feel bloody lucky that you looked twice at me."

"_Sam_," something a lot like remorse seemed to twinge in Sirius' voice.

"To have a bloody tosser look at you—especially twice, that's just damned insulting."

She exited the room almost silently, and Sirius stood by the door.

"Why didn't someone tell me she was standing there?" he finally asked.

"We shouldn't have ever had to tell you because you never ought to have said a damned thing. She deserves better than that."

"Anyone deserves better than that," proclaimed Moony, looking at Sirius with a looke of intense surprise.

"I don't need a lecture," said Sirius, looking exceptionally pale and sour, "I'll see you all down at the pitch."

He left, slamming the door behind him.

"That's a right shame," said Moony, rubbing his dark eyes, "I really thought they had a chance."

"Did we make him do that?" asked James finally, "By teasing him and all?"

Ther was silence.

"Maybe," Lupin said finally. Then, "Dammit, we have to apologise to her, too, don't we?"

James nodded.

"Did you see his face when she called him a tosser though?" James smirked. Moony and Peter nodded, "It was almost worth it just for that."

"Almost." Moony confirmed.

* * *

"Sam?" Lily entered their dormitory softly. She hadn't seen Sam since breakfast, when Veronica Moore had asked her to tell James that the match would be early. It was now twenty minutes until it began, and Sam wasn't down at the pitch.

"Hmm?"

Lily looked at Sam's bed, with its hangings drawn round, and pulled the curtains back. Sam was lying on the bed on her back, looking up at the ceiling with such desolation that it made Lily want to cry, which was exactly what Sam had been doing. Her eyes were puffy and there were little smudges of mascara around them.

"Sam what happened?"

"I went up to tell James about the match," Sam's voice was very quiet and very high, "and all of the bloody Marauders were there. I came just in time to hear--hear--_him_ tell them all that I was a pain in his ass, and I was slutty and desperate."

"Oh Sam," Lily hugged her tightly.

"Am I desperate?" Sam muttered into Lily's shoulder.

"No, love, he was just upset that you didn't like him any more."

"Am I...?"

"And you are the cutest, least-slutty girl I know," Lily assured her, "The fact is, Sam, you are too good looking, so peple like to assume that you're slutty."

"Thanks Lils,"

"Are you going to be okay?"

"I'm fine," Sam said, putting on one of the fakest smiles Lily had ever seen in her life.

"Alright," Lily agreed, feeling slightly put off by the extreme sadness in Sam's eyes. Nevertheless, she got up and handed Sam a tissue. She wiped her eyes haphazardly.

"I have to get down to the pitch."

"I know," Lily said, but Sam was already out of the door, taking her nearly-suicidal sadness with her.

In twenty minutes time, Lily met up with Remus and Peter, who were sort of her unofficial Quidditch-watching-buddies. However, Lily was quite unhappy when she saw them, for she was only reminded of Sirius.

"Hey Lily--" Remus broke off, catching the anger in her eyes.

"What was Sirius on about?"

"Oh, that."

"Yes, that. Sam looked like hell. What happened?"

"Well, we were sort of making fun of him and he exploded."

"Exploded? That's no bloody excuse," Lily argued, heatedly as they strode across the grounds, "After what he did to her...he should be especially nice to her."

"We agree, Lily," Remus assured her, and Peter nodded silently.

"Good. Because if I see him--"

She broke off as they entered the crowd of people and milled through them to good seats.

"This should be an easy win," Lupin commented.

"Should be," Lily agreed, looking down at the field as the Hufflepuffs entered, then the Gryffindors.

"And here are our two teams," Sirius' voice announced from the box and Lily threw an angry glare at the place where he most likely was, "Captains shake hands and the game is off!"

The stands cheered as Sam swooped in and took the first possession of the Quaffle.

"Tchaikovsky to Yates, back to Tchaikovsky. Tchaikovsky, Moore, scores! Ten-oh."

Lily was disgusted with the easiness with which Sirius said Sam's last name, as if he hadn't smashed her confidence and heart into the ground. Even so, she managed a smile when Sam flew by, and flashed her a thumbs up. Sam sort of smiled, but it wasn't even close to meeting her eyes.

The pattern continued, and Gryffindor was very nearly literally killing the Hufflepuffs. In fifteen minutes, it was two-hundred-to-twenty. The crowd was becoming distracted, disinterested in the severe whopping that Gryffindor was serving to their yellow and black peers. The Gryffindors, though ecstatic at the prospect of wining the Cup this year, were too humble to cheer at any further goals. The Hufflepuffs were too embarrassed to cheer or boo; the Ravenclaws were rooting for one of the previous two sides, and were similarly quiet. The Slytherins, who were now definitely playing Gryffindor for the Cup, were discussing what were most likely plots to take out the Gryffindor players rather than watching the game.

Sam, Jamie, and Veronica all soared down the field, Veronica holding the Quaffle, all ready to score again, when Jeremy Hawk, an unusually large fourth year serving as the Hufflepuff's beater swooped in front of Lily, blocking her view of the play. She did however see him take a large wind up and smack an angry black Bludger into the playing field.

* * *

James was suspended at the top of the field, as he always was, waiting, watching the game unfold below him. They were playing quite well, even though it was an easy game—more like practise than anything—they were getting an excellent opportunity to debut some of their trickier plays. With pride, he watched Veronica, Jamie, and Sam fly down the field in formation, positioning themselves for one of their best plays. Jamie passed to Veronica, who successfully looped around the opposing chaser. Sam hung suspended at the far post, decoying the Keeper to her side. She never saw Hawk—the fourth year beater for the Hufflepuffs—wind up behind her and smack the bludger towards the back of her head. James would never know if it was an intentional move (though the Hufflepuffs were not known for such fouls) or rather just the horrible aim of the player, but it hardly mattered.

"Nice set up," Sirius was commentating their formation, "Bludger attack by Hawk...Jesus Christ."

James watched in horror as the black sphere made impact with Sam's head. She slackened and fell backward, off her broom and through the sky. She hit the sandy ground with a final thud, and he heard the gasps and screams of the crowd when she didn't move, heard the shrill of Madame Hooch's whistle. He rocketed down to the ground and landed safely next to Sam's body, which was being tended to by Madame Hooch. He didn't see her chest moving at all.

Then, Dumbledore was there, muttering "Levi Corpus," compelling Sam's limp body into the air, propelling her towards the exit. People were rising in the stands, craning their necks for a look at Sam.

"Keep the students in their seats please, Ophelia," Dumbledore said to the young Madame Hooch, whose yellow eyes were huge.

"Headmaster..."

"I shall take care of it. Mr. Potter?" He turned to James.

"Yes sir?" James managed to speak.

"Please get Miss Evans, yes, just Miss Evans. Mr. Black will find his way on his own," he added the last part more to himself, then his eyes focused back on James, intense blue, "To the Hospital Wing, please."

He nodded, looking back down at the sand. With a sickening jolt he saw that it was stained red where Sam's head had impacted the ground.

"Sir?" James ran to catch up with Dumbledore, who turned around, "Will she be alright?"

"I believe she will live."

Somehow, it the answer rang as ominous in James' ears, as if though she would live, Sam would never be alright. As he turned back around, he saw the red sand again and knew that she probably wouldn't be. He kicked fresh, white sand over the blot, as if that would improve things.

Lily. He had to get Lily. James mind snapped back to Dumbledore's instructions. He looked up and saw red hair moving thorugh the stands. He caught her at the goot fo the stairs. Lily's eyes were huge and she didn't blink, but as soon as he supported her, her knees gave out. He half-carried her, half led her back up to the castle.

"There was blood," were her first words. He looked down at her and saw her face was completely drained of color.

"I know," was all he could say. The rest of the walk was in shocked silence. When they entered the castle and made their way to the infirmary, the door was hanging open in its frame. All of the beds were empty except one at the far end, which was surrounded by screens. Dumbledore was proved right as James saw Sirius was standing a few beds down. He kept folding his arms, putting his hands in his pockets, letting his arms just hang at his side. Dumbledore's and Madame Pomfrey's voices were audible from behind the screen. As they drew closer, Sirius saw tnem and approached them.

"Is she okay?" James asked his friend as he lay Lily on a free bed. Sirius just shook his head. There was such pain beneath Sirius' grey eyes that it made James' stomach hurt, "She's not..."

Another shake of the head. He was saved any further explaation by Dumbledore's appearance from behind the screen.

"Sir?" James asked him again.

"She will live."

How? James wanted to ask, butg he was too shocked to do so. Lily sighed heavily then started to cry. Feeling alarmed, James sat next to her, put his arm around her shaking shoulders.

"Can we see her?" Lily managed to choke out.

"No," Madame Pomfrey appeared on cue, "Not in the...state... she's in."

"Please. She's...she's our friend," Lily begged, looking absolutely crestfallen.

"Poppy, I would think it's appropriate for these young peple to see their firend. You must understand, the last time they saw her, they may have very well thought her dead. It will ease their minds," Dumbledore smoothly overrode Madame Pomfrey, who sort of blanched.

"Headmaster, you must understand, I think it will disturb them further."

But Lily was lareday pulling abck the screen.

"My God," Lily cried as she saw her friend. James came behind her and caught her before her knees gave out again, but he wished he had stayed back. Sam had been stripped of her outer Quidditch robes, but the shirt that hugged her frame was unnaturally red around the collar and shoulders, drenched in blood. The pillow behind Sam's head was red, too, blood soaking through the bandages. Her arms had huge black bruises up and down hteir length, they lay at odd angles, crooked and broken, and her hair was matted with blood. Her eyes were blosed, but each were surrounded by black rings.

"Are you happy?" Madame Pomfrey demanded in a tumultous voice.

"Poppy," Dumbledore took her arm and led her to her office, where James heard her start to cry. He wondered how many injuries quite like this Madame Pomfrey had dealt with. Dumbledore reappeared beside them.

"One of you may stay with Miss Tchaikovsky, but I must ask the other two of you to leave."

"I will," Sirius' voice was low and final, having spoken for the first time. No one contested his wish.

* * *

When Lily entered the Hospital Wing a few minutes before dinner, the strong scent of potions, magic, and very Muggle ammonia nearly overwhelmed her. She closed the door silently and padded across the floor to Sam's bed. Sirius was sitting next to her body, which hadn't seemed to have 's first thought when she looked at them was that Sam did not look alive. She approached in silence and put a hand on Sirius' shoulder. The hand that he was holding of Sam's clenched for a second then, slackened when he saw it was Lily. When he turned around to look at her, she saw that he looked like hell: his eyes were almost black, and their depths were sad and empty.

"Go get some food," Lily suggested, "I'll stay with her."

Sirius opened his mouth, but at first nothing came out. Then. "I don't want to leave her." Something in the way he said it made her feel as if he weren't just speaking of this single instance. The sincerity would have made her blush if not for the current situation.

"She's not going to..." Lily choked, "Die."

Sirius nodded and looked at Sam again. Lily saw that Madame Pomfrey had washed her hair so that it now hung limply around her face, the water making it look darker than usual. Her pale face was sheet white so that the blood-black brusies around her eyes stood out in shocking contrast. She knew Sam would have hated being seen like this, particularly by Sirius, had she admitted it or not.

"Pomfrey said she has a concussion," Sirius said, "So her brain is bruised," he added to no one inparticular.

"That's better than, well..."

"Yeah," he agreed, "but she said she might have memory loss."

"From what I've heard, that might not be a bad thing," Lily was surprised by the harsh quality in her voice, but not ashamed by it. She had forgotten that she should have been upset with Sirius. But the way he had been acting, she had nearly forgiven him.

"No," he said, "I can't...I can't let her...she needs to remember," he said desperately, brokenly.

"What are you talking about?" Lily's eyes wandered to Sam, whose face was still and peaceful, so different from the distressed mess that it had been earlier that day. She looked so pretty, so much younger than she usually did, calm, without any knowledge of anything that made her older and wiser.

"She needs to be mad at me for what I said," Sirius said, drawing Lily's eyes back to him and she saw him looking at her desperately, "I should have never said any of that. Ever. Whether she was there or not. I'm an arse and I don't deserve her to ever think that I'm anything but."

Lily stared at this admittedly hot young man for whom every girl had fallen for, but who he himself had fallen for Samantha Tchaikovsky. The boy who had driven the same girl up the wall, been the object of Sam's affection and hatred and passion. Lily's own boyfriend's best friend, who had once been so full on pride, but had been humbled by Samantha Tchaikovsky to the point of proclaiming his own self an arse. It may have qualified as a miracle.

"Go get some food," Lily whispered. Sirius looked at Sam again, then stood and moved towards the door.

"If she wakes up, get me?"

Lily nodded.

* * *

She woke in the morning, hugely awake, her senses incredicly heightened by her sleep and whatever potions Madame Pomfrey had given her. The room was insanely bright, everything was shiny white. Even before she opened her eyes, she was well-aware of her surroundings, the smells, the feel of the bed clothes. In an overhwelming flood, her memories came back to her: practise, the engagment ring, fighting with Sirius, the game.

"Sam?"

She looked up and through the bright haze, she saw a face. It was a fairly beautiful face with black hair and grey eyes, a strong nose, and full lips. His face was concerned, which lent him to being even more attractive. It was Sirius. She fought through the haze of memories and saw him telling all of his friends that she was lucky to have him look twice at her. She remembered crying so soon after. It all seemed to long ago, but the fact that there were few memories after that lent itself to the assumption that this had happened recently.

She blinked once, twice, focused fully on him.

"Chto--?" _What..._

"Is she up?"

There were more voices, and she saw two more figures behind Sirius. It took more blinks to focus on them. A boy with black hair and glasses, a girl with red hair---Lily. And the boy was James.

"Sam!" Lily cried. She blocked off the now-hazy figure that was Sirius, leaned in and hugged her tightly. It hurt so badly that she had to bite her lip not to cry.

"Lily--"

Sam focused on Sirius again who had spoken.

"You're hurting her."

"Oh, I'm sorry," Lily said, letting go of her and sitting on the bed. She held her hand.

"Chto sluchilos?" she managed to ask. They were all looking at her strangely. Why weren't they responding. She just wanted to know what had happened...

"Sam, a bludger hit you."

She blinked and saw James.

"It hit your head. You're lucky you're alive," James' mouth spoke to her.

"We're lucky you're alive," the haze next to her--Sirius, she remembered was there--said.

"Ya upall?" _I fell?_

"Can't she talk?"

What was he talking about? She had just spoken, hadn't she? Were they all mental? And damn it all, why were they looking at her like that, like _she _was crazy. She closed her eyes, hard, and when she opened them again, her vision was a little darker, but everything was still out of focus.

"Ya ne mogu horoshu videt..." _I can't see very well..._

"What's wrong with her?" The haze named Sirius spoke, though his tone was worried.

"She's speaking Russian," said Lily, looking at her worriedly, "I'll get Madame Pomfrey," Lily said, leaving the bed. In a moment, she was back, and another haze was behind her. A few three blinks, and she saw Madame Pomfrey, "She's speaking only in Russian," Lily was telling the other woman.

What was she talking about? She wasn't speaking Russian...was she?

"Russian?"

"Yes, that--that was the first language she knew..." Lily spoke to the other woman.

"Chert Lily, ty obeshchala nikogda ne govori nikomu." _Dammit Lily, you promised never to tell anyone._ Sam had only ever told Lily that her first language was Russian. She had spoken it from birth until she was about three, when her parents had required her to learn English. She had forgotten nearly all of her birth language, save a few words, and had been working to get it back since she was fourteen.

Lily seemed to understand this outburst, though, and looked at her.

"I'm sorry," she whispered. Sam closed her eyes, willing the haze away.

"It's a problem with her mental recall. Her brain was bruised after all..." Madame Pomfrey explained to them.

Sam focused on Madame Pomfrey's hand, which was drawing her wand out of her apron, waved it at her. She flinched as a shocking hot sensation rushed through her. It was followed immediately by a cold feeling, then everything was gone.

"I can't see very well," Sam said, looking around at them all. Lily sighed, closing her eyes, looking relieved.

"That's better. And the vision, that'll be the Optimonium," said the woman knowledgably, "It saved your eyesight, but now it's too strong. That's good," she added. Sam focused on the woman's hand, which was extened towards her, holding a cup of black, tar-like liquid. She willed her arm to stretch out and take the cup, moaning slightly with the pain and effort. But she succeeded in taking the cup into her own hand, steering it towards her mouth. She swallowed it, then coughed. It felt as if the liquid was stuck in her throat, she was choking, then it was gone. She blinked, and her vision was near perfect. She saw everything in perfect detail, everyone was in focus all at the same time.

"That'll be better," Madame Pomfrey left.

"Thank God," Sam sighed, "A bludger hit me?"

"Yeah, Hawk got you," James said, "He lost about a hundred points in the process. He swore it wasn't on purpose though. He's just that bad of an aim," he added bitterly.

"I'm so sorry Sam," Lily sat back down next to her, "He was right in front of me, I should have done something to stop it."

"Lily, how many times do the Hufflepuffs foul anyone?" Sirius demanded, "Once every hundred years? There's no way you could have known."

Sam nodded in agreement.

"How's you're memory?" Lily asked her.

"It's okay, I can still remember...I think it's everything. Were we lining up for a Porskoff Ploy?" she asked of James, naming the last memory she had. He smiled hugely.

"Yeah."

"That's the last thing I remember."

"That's the last thing you would remember," Lily said kindly, stroking her hair.

"How long have I been out?"

"Since yesterday. Don't worry though, it's Sunday, so you didn't miss any homework."

"Well thank God," said Sam, rolling her eyes at Lily.

"I think she's fine," Lily announced, "Sarcasm restored and all."

"Lils, there's not much to me apart from sarcasm." Sam told her. Lily looked at her for a long moment, then hugged her tightly.

"I'm so glad you're okay."

"Thanks," Sam's voice was muffled in Lily's shoulder, "I can't believe you all had to see me like this though," she added disparagingly, looking down at the thin white linen shift that Madame Pomfrey had dressed her in.

"Sam..." Lily sighed heavily.

"Although these bruises, they look pretty cool, don't they?" she lamely attempted to move her arm. It hurt too badly, "Dammit, it's going to be tough taking a swing at Hawk with an arm like this, though."

She smiled, but her friends around her shifted their weight, cleared their throats.

"I wouldn't worry about that," said James, looking sideways at Sirius, "Sirius caught up with Hawk yesterday, after dinner."

"Oh Jesus, you didn't." Sam sighed, looking at Sirius, who put on a defensive face.

"You can't honestly think that he was going to do that to you and get away with it, did you?" he demanded of her.

"But you said he lost points..."

"Oh, well, that will teach him. Imagine, losing points. Look what he did to you!" said Sirius with acid sarcasm.

"You two are so perfect for each other," Lily said, shaking her head. Both Sam and Sirius took a moment to glare at her.

"He actually was just released from in here," James told Sam, "Maybe an hour before now."

"God, Sirius. Thanks I guess."

"You're welcome," he said, smiling at her. He was looking at her in a way that made her feel as if she were the most important person in the world. It was so intense that she had to close her eyes again.


	16. Skeletons

_Still don't own any characters that you recognise--except Samantha Tchaikovsky, you might start recognising her now._

* * *

_Hey, before I go and make all of you angry, my account is talking to me about a 15 document limit. What does it mean? Thanks, and sorry, I'm trying to get used to all of this._

_And all of you thought Sam got away unscathed, didn't you? Oh ho, ha ha._

_I'm sorry, but the temptation of being the author and completely in control of the story...it was all to overwhelming. Honestly, for all of you who have been burned by an author, it's great therapy to write your own story and mess with your readers. You can just thank J.K. Rowling and Libba Bray and Anna Godberesen for all screwing me up._

_Also, I would like to say that I often mix between the British and American spellings of words. I apologise/apologize. I read a lot of British books, and therefore the spellings are in my head that way, but I live in the US, so there's a bit of a clash there._

_Really, any comment is wonderful and appreciated!_

_Love Always,_

_Fae_

**Skeletons**

Sam was released from the Hospital Wing two days after she woke up. She had argued her case with Madame Pomfrey, but the older woman refused to discharge her until she was sure that she would not faint under everyday stress. Thus, for two days, Sam was made to walk around the halls under Madame Pomfrey's close supervision, go down to the Great Hall and eat dinner with the nurse standing over her, and, on the last day, attend her Charms class, also under supervision.

It was a pain, but Sam with held the temptation to scoff at Madame Pomfrey's methods. The future of her Quidditch career at Hogwarts was currently in the nurse's hands. And though the Charms class had been nothing short of humiliating (what with Pomfrey asking health-related questions the entire time), nothing had been as emotionally painful as seeing the Hufflepuff beater, Hawk.

It was her first dinner out of the Wing, and as she meandered down the stairs to the hall--Pomfrey on her tail-- she had spotted the poor boy. Though it appeared the the swelling in both eyes had receded completely, the black circles remained. He seemed a lot jumpier as well, and upon spotting Sam, he quickly approached her and gave her a very formal apology.

Sam couldn't help but noticing that Sirius had been watching the exchange in a scrupulously innocent manner the entire time.

Sirius Black had been watching her a lot since her accident. From what Sam remembered, they hadn't ever been on wonderful terms, what with the insulting and crying the day of her injury. To be perfectly honest, she was flattered by the attention that he was paying her, but she was still a bit confused.

"Where's Pomfrey?" Lily asked Sam as they ate their dinner that third evening. She forgot about Sirius Black and looked at Lily.

"She's not coming," Sam replied vaguely. She hadn't told Lily about her official release, rather it being a surprise. She had even convinced Pomfrey to keep mum as well.

"What--?" A look of realisation washed over Lily's face, "You're out?"

Sam grinned and nodded.

"You're out!" Lily shouted, grabbing her hand from across the table, "Why didn't you tell me? We need to celebrate," she added, lowering her voice, "I would have...you know..._acquired_ drinks from the kitchen."

Sam laughed at her friend's innocent inability to mention the act of stealing by name. Lily had always been averse to breaking rules--then again, she herself had never relished the act--but someone had to initiate the action. Sometimes, it was absolutely vital to have a pie from the kitchens.

"Please don't worry about it, Lils," Sam said, "Pomfrey said I can't drink anyway. My, well, my brain is still working itself out. That's what she said anyway."

Lily surveyed her from across the table, "Right, well. I'm going to get a bottle of Firewhiskey and six--no five--glasses. I will meet you and the Marauders in the boy's dormitory in an hour."

"Lils," Sam begged, "It's just me getting out of the Hospital Wing."

"Love, the fact that you were ever in the Hospital Wing is concerning enough. The fact that you are now released is more than reason to celebrate."

"But why do we have to invite the Marauders?" Sam demanded gently, "I mean, I know you and James are together, but couldn't it just be, well, us?"

"Sam, I wasn't going to tell you," Lily looked at her fondly, "but James told me that Sirius really likes you, and he is planning upon asking you out sometime."

Lily's smile was so bright, that Sam couldn't help returning it.

"Alright, I'll see you in a bit," she agreed, still a bit reluctantly. Lily looked at her one last time, something people had been tending to do quite frequently, as if they may not be seeing her again. It was thoroughly disconcerting.

"Yay," Lily said simply before slipping out of the Great Hall.

"Yay," Samantha repeated, searching her brain for any recollection of what could have possibly made Sirius Black have any wish of taking her anywhere.

* * *

Lily crossed the Great Hall and exited out of the doors, hoping her exit had gone without notice. She hated sneaking around the castle, particularly to steal things, but Sam's successful completion of Madame Pomfrey's tests was a perfectly legitimate reason for sneaking. Silently, she sidled up next to a large tapestry of a bowl of fruit and tickled the pear. The large fluffy object shook in silent laughter and the entire tapestry moved to allow her access to the kitchens.

Inside was still hot and humid from the preparation of the night's dinner. The house elves were still very much involved in tonight's meal, all running hither and thither, putting the finishing touches on dessert. Lily stole to the back of the rooms where the cooled area was, and quickly plucked out a bottle of firewhiskey. Removing her wand, she waved it at the object, and it shrunk quickly to a manageable size. Then, remembering what Sam had said about not drinking, she grabbed three Butterbeers.

Out in the halls, students were returning from dinner, and Lily slipped along with them, no one seeming to take note of her arrival among them. Quickly, but not noticeably, she made it to the common room, then up to the boy's dormitory. The door was open, and she stepped inside.

All of the Marauders--most notably James, of course--were sitting on their beds. Sam was at the foot of Sirius' bunk, leaning easily against one of the poles. She was watching James catch and release, catch and release, a small golden snitch over and over.

"You knicked another?" Lily asked her boy friend, smiling at him.

"I would hardly consider you a saint," he said, grinning back as she produced the butterbeers and firewhiskey.

"Maybe not," Lily allowed, handing the butterbeer to Sam.

"I'll take one of those, too," Lupin spoke up from his bed. Lily handed him one as well. Remus looked terrible. He had huge bags under his eyes, was pale, and everything about him seemed thin.

"Are you sure you're feeling okay?" Lily asked him, looking concerned as she sat down next to James.

"I'll be fine in a few days, I'm sure," said Lupin, smiling slightly.

"Alright," Lily sighed, popping the cork on the firewhiskey, "Right then. To Sam Tchaikovsky. For making a full recovery and being the best friend I could have," Lily proclaimed, taking a sip from the bottle. She passed it to James.

"For being one of my best chasers, and for being an all-around damn good Quidditch player. Thanks for being on my team, Tchaikovsky." He took a large swig of the whiskey.

Lily looked at Sam who was looking very embarrassed, but still smiling nonetheless.

"For always being nice," Peter sqeaked and took a cautious sip.

"Pete you have to take more than that," James said, a mischievous grin on his face, "That's not even enough to feel warm inside."

"But--"

"C'mon, Pete!" Sirius encouraged. Peter shrugged his shoulders then glugged from the bottle.

"Some one catch that," James said. Lily took out her wand and pointed it at the firewhiskey.

"_Wingardium Leviosa,"_ she muttered as the bottle slipped from Peter's unconscious hand. The bottle remained afloat in the air, but Peter fell back onto the bed, snoring, "That was mean," she said to James and Sirius, allowing the bottle to drift to Lupin, who caught it.

"To Samantha Tchaikovsky for helping me break my streak and finally win some bets. And for giving some of the best damn insults I have ever heard," Lupin smiled at her, and took a drink of his butterbeer, passing the bottle to Sirius.

"To Samantha Tchaikovsky," Sirius declared, holding the bottle high, "For being the best damn girl I have ever met. And for being the best snog I have ever had."

He took a large swig. Sam burst out laughing. Sirius removed the bottle from his mouth and put it on the table. Lily stared at Sam, who was nearly doubled over.

"What--what are you talking about?" she asked, wiping tears from her eyes, "When did I ever snog you?"

The effect was immediate as everyone looked from Sam to Sirius and back to Sam.

"Sam are you okay?"

"I'm fine. Sorry, just...what is he on about?"

"Sam, let's go," Lily said, getting up from the bed and hurrying to Sam's side. She grabbed Sam's arm and hoisted her up.

"What?" Sam asked, looking confused, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make fun of it."

She made to sit back down.

"No. Sam, we're going to the Hospital Wing," Lily announced, pulling her towards the door.

"Why?" Sam demanded, but they were already headed down the stairs, "Lils, what's wrong. I'm sorry. I probably hurt his feelings, huh?"

Lily pulled her out of the common room and into the hall.

"But it must have just been a dream he had. Or he got me confused with someone else," Sam continued, much to Lily's chagrin. She had thought that Sam was better....completely better.

"Sam..." Lily started carefully, towing her down the stairs, "Do you really not remember?"

"Remember what? You guys...you're really making me nervous."

"Really? Because you sure as hell are making me nervous," Lily told her, "You kissed Sirius, the night of the Christmas ball. Please tell me you remember." They paused outside of the Hospital Wing.

"I...I think I remember the ball. A little bit. But I never kissed Sirius Black. Lily, all I can remember is him calling me names, making fun of me, making me cry."

"No! No, Sam, you liked him. You kissed him in the woods..." Lily trailed off, seeing as this was having no effect on Sam whatsoever. Lily felt her eyes water up as she looked at Sam's wide, unremembering eyes. She opened the doors of the Hospital Wing, "Madame Pomfrey?"

There was a loud clattering and Madame Pomfrey appeared.

"What happened?" she demanded, seeing Lily's tears and Sam, back again.

"She--she doesn't remember..." Lily choked.

"I thought we tested her memory," Madame Pomfrey said, directing Sam to sit on one of the beds.

"Yes, but her memories from further back...they're....they aren't there."

"You're sure?"

Lily nodded.

"Madame Pomfrey, I'm sorry. I don't really think that my memories are gone. Lily...I think she wants me to remember something that didn't really happen," Sam spoke, attempting a smile.

"No!" Lily cried, wrapping her arms around herself, "She doesn't remember."

"What's your name, love?" Madame Pomfrey asked Sam, placing her hands on her shoulders.

"Samantha Marie Tchaikovsky."

"Where are you?"

"In the Hospital Wing in Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Britain."

"Do you have parents?"

"Two. Sergei Tchaikovsky, and Tatiana Vasiley Tchaikovsky, both from Moscow."

"Siblings?"

"Four. Sarah, Nathan, Sergei, and Peter."

"Miss Tchaikovsky, would you wait outside?" Madame Pomfrey asked of her. Sam nodded and exited, giving Lily a quizzical look as she passed. Madame Pomfrey turned to Lily, who couldnt stop the tears from rolling down her cheeks, "Miss Evans, would you sit?"

Lily did so, "She really doesn't remember."

"I believe you. She remembers what happened right before her accident, along with the things she has known the longest, is that correct?"

Lily nodded.

"This has to be expected, Miss Evans, she had a terrible accident. If she truly had left my infirmary with a full recovery, she would have been the first with such an accident to do so. I'm sorry if this is upsetting to you," she added kindly, putting a hand on her shoulder, "In time, those memories might come back, and they might not. In that time, it is important to make new memories."

Lily nodded and stood.

"I'm sorry to have bothered you."

"You did no such thing. Now, I'm sure some sleep would help you."

Lily nodded again and showed herself out of the Hospital Wing. Sam was sitting on a flight of stairs, looking up at the ceiling. Lily wondered if it was better that she didn't remember. She seemed fine, after all, even a bit happier than she had before the accident.

"I'm sorry, Sam."

"Don't worry about it," Sam said, still looking at the ceiling. She finally brought her eyes down to look at Lily, "Can I ask you something?"

"Sure," Lily took her arm and they headed up the stairs.

"Did I really kiss Sirius Black?"

Lily sort of laughed, "You did."

"Huh," Sam said, looking lost, "Do you think it's something I want to remember?"

Lily shrugged, "I know some girls would want to."

"Yeah, probably," Sam responded.

* * *

James sat on his bed, the bottle of Firewhiskey in one hand, his wand in another. He kept watching the door, the last place that he had seen Lily. She had taken Sam down to the Hospital Wing when it had become apparent that Sam's memory really hadn't come out in one piece.

He came back to the present when he felt the Firewhiskey removed from his hand. He looked over to see Sirius take a large glug.

"Padfoot," James sighed, snatching the bottle back, "that isn't going to do anything."

"It's gonna make me forget," Sirius slurred back, "Just like she did."

"Not forever," James countered, stopping up the bottle, "It'll come back eventually."

"For me or for her?"

"For you," James admitted. It was a low blow to Sirius that Sam didn't remember them ever having kissed. He knew that Sirius was quite fond of that fact, and not having the other person remember...it made it less real. James thought of how it would be if Lily didn't remember him ever kissing her, asking her to be his girlfriend. He would be suicidal.

"Padfoot, it's going to be alright. You still love her, right?" Moony spoke up, his voice tired but soothing.

Sirius looked at him agitatedly.

"Well, you'll just have to convince her to love you again. She's still the same girl. All the feelings are still there," Moony said easily.

They all jumped as the door opened. Lily stepped inside, alone.

"Where is she?" James asked her,taking in her rather red face that said she had been crying.

"She's sleeping up in our dormitory."

"What did Pomfrey say?"

Lily sighed heavily, her sad green eyes resting on Sirius, "She said---she said that she remembers what happened the most recently, and the things she's known the longest. Her family, her school, her name. Everything else is sketchy. Pomfrey said she'll have to replace the memories."

"How?"

"Not actually replace them," Lily smiled slightly, "Make new ones instead."

"Hear that, Padfoot? You have work to do," Moony threw a pillow at Sirius. It bounced off his chest and landed on the floor. Sirius never moved. He, like Peter, was unconscious.

"We'll tell him tomorrow," James said to Lily, who was biting her lip like she might cry again.

She just nodded and stood up. He followed her out of the door to the landing outside of their dormitory. She turned around and kissed him. He responded enthusiastically, tipping her back. She pulled away and looked at him seriously.

"I'm so glad I don't forget what happened with us," she said.

"Me too," he smiled and kissed her once more.


	17. Kiss and Tell

_Still don't own any characters that you recognise--except Samantha Tchaikovsky, you might start recognising her now._

* * *

_Hello hello. I thought now would be a safe time to say that I have been saving this newest installment until after you all have had a little time to sweat it out. Ha ha. I love you all so much. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this. Things really seem like they're going to work out, don't they?_

_Keep in mind a few things: there are still four months until the end of the year, which is when James is going to propose to Lils, so I have a lot of time to account for; secondly, now that you all have a good idea of what I like to do to my stories, there is going to be at least one more big scene, not counting the Quiddtich cup (Gryffindor v. Slytherin, otherwise known as a must-see); and while we all read these with the full knowledge that Lily and James wind up dead, don't forget that when Harry meets up with Sirius, he isn't married....(in case you were wondering, this particular factoid messed with me. I hate it that someone as good looking as Sirius doesn't have someone.)_

_Hum dee dum._

_Also, I would like to say that I often mix between the British and American spellings of words. I apologise/apologize. I read a lot of British books, and therefore the spellings are in my head that way, but I live in the US, so there's a bit of a clash there._

_Really, any comment is wonderful and appreciated!_

_Love Always,_

_Fae_

**Kiss and Tell**

"Please remember that exams are only four months away, and it is never too early to begin studying," Professor Flitwick reminded them in way of parting.

"Four months guys, better get started," Sam laughed as she picked up her bag, Lily rising beside her.

"Yeah, I don't know about you, but I started last month," Sirius said, his face so completely straight that Sam laughed harder. He broke into a grin as they all made for the door.

"I guess we should eventually study," James allowed, "But honestly, a reminder four months out?"

"That's Flitwick," Lily defended her, taking James hand as they walked through the hall. But it wasn't just Flitwick. All of the teachers had been moving their focus towards N.E.W.T.'s and exams, even though they were months away. It was disconcerting by far.

"It's okay, Lils, we're just having a little fun. You know I love him," Sam said, looking disappointedly at Lily for being so sensitive.

Sam was finally getting back into a rhythm of school, practise, sleeping, eating after her injury. Sometimes her head hurt. Alot. But she tried to ignore it and get on with her life. She didn't really seem to have forgotten any of her spells in her classes, but some of the dates in her head from Muggle Studies were fuzzy. For the life of her she couldn't remember in what year the Salem Witch Trials had ended.

And life was good. Life was actually pretty fun. She just couldn't help wondering if her life had been more fun before the accident. According to Lily, she had forgotten having kissed Sirius Black. That must have been fun.

Ah, Sirius Black. She watched him now as he laughed with Remus, and she felt herself smiling at his easy humor and smile. He looked so wonderful, even in his grey and red and gold school vest, his white shirt unbuttoned around the collar as if even his clothes were rebellious. She wondered if kissing was all that she had missed from him. He looked back at her, caught her eye with his charcoal ones and smiled more broadly.

"Hello," he said, taking her hand and shaking it, "My name is Sirius Black. How do you do? I've known you for seven years now, but I thought I'd tell you: You're very pretty." he winked at her as she snatched her hand back. He had been pulling this stunt everyday, reintroducing himself whenever he got the chance.

"I was injured, Black," she said, "I'm not mental."

"That's up in the air."

"Ha ha."

Sam laughed fakely and watched a strange interaction between Sirius and James, in which James caught Sirius' eye and winked hugely.

"What was that?" Sam demanded.

"What?" James responded innocently.

"That little exchange," she clarified.

"I don't know what you're talking about," James said, looking puzzled.

"Oh never mind," Sam huffed as they descended into the Great Hall for dinner. They all sat together at the far end of the Gryffindor table. Sam saw Jamie--who Lily had reminded her was Lupin's girlfriend--and she made to scoot down. Jamie ignored them and sat with some of her sixth year friends.

"What's wrong with her?" Lily asked, not missing a beat.

"Who? Oh, Jamie?" Lupin looked down at the beautiful blonde, "We're probably breaking up."

"Why?"

"Oh, she and her parents are moving to the States. She'll be taking her seventh year at one of their schools," Lupin said without enthusiasm, "I said she should stay and she said that I wasn't being sensitive to her situation. So now she's mad."

"I'm sorry," Sam said, genuinely. She had liked Jamie and Remus together as a couple; they were so cute.

"Don't worry," Lupin said, "I don't think it was going to work out, anyway."

"Oh," Sam responded, looking down at her pot pie, "Oh, hey, I have to go talk to McGonagall. I think I might need a little bit of extra material in that class," she lied. In reality, she had forgotten the incantaions for the series of spells that they were supposed to be learning. She just wasn't about to share it with the peanut gallery.

"Alright," Lily said, "See you in the common room?"

"Sure," Sam said, ready to move down the Hall.

"Hey, Tchaikovsky?"

She looked back at Sirius Black.

"What?"

"Don't forget me!"

James, Lupin, Peter and Lily all started laughing, but Sam did not. There was something very serious in his eyes when he had said that. She knew it was under the guise of a joke, but she couldn't help feeling as if he really didn't want her to forget him. It hit her suddenly, and very hard.

She didn't want to forget him either. She liked Sirius Black very, very much.

"I won't," she said, grinning as if it were all a joke. He met her eyes and she knew that she had said exactly the right thing.

She hurried down the hall, weaved in between the tables, out of the door and into the halls. She almost ran headlong into Professor McGonagall.

"I'm sorry, Professor," she apologised, feeling herself begin to blush.

"No running in the hallways, Miss Tchaikovsky," McGonagall said with a hint of reproach.

"Yes ma'am. I was actually coming to find you."

"And I, you," McGonagall returned, taking her by the arm and leading her up the stairs.

"Mine is about your class, Professor. I haven't been able to remember some of the spells we had been learning..." she trailed off and looked at the older woman hopefully.

"Well, my inquiry should cover your own. Professor Dumbledore sent me to get you. Madame Pomfrey told him about Miss Evans taking you to the infirmary recently. It seems as if you _have_ substained brain damage, and Professor Dumbledore has a theory on fixing it."

"He does?"

"Indeed, Miss Tchaikovsky. But I think he himself would be the best prepared to explain everything to you," McGonagall said. They had stopped in fron of a large statue of a golden gryffin. Sam would have been terrible amiss not to have noticed at some point during her seven years that this was the entrance to Professor Dumbledore's office. McGongagall paused momentarily then said, "Peppermint bark," very clearly. The gryffin leapt aside to reveal something much like a Muggle staircase.

"Er..."

"Professor Dumbledore will be waiting for you," McGonagall assured her, stepping aside. Sam took a timid step forward, onto the staircase. She rode in silence for two counts, then stepped off at the one and only landing. She took a breath and knocked on the door.

"Come in!" a voice called out. She pushed the door out of its frame. She had been in Dumbledore's office once before, and it hadn't changed since then. The portraits of all previous headmasters remained, most now sleeping, the strange but beautiful golden instruments still whirred lightly on the walls and shelves, "Miss Tchaikovsky," Dumbledore shook her hand.

"Professor," she smiled slightly. She loved Dumbledore much the way she loved her grandfather. He had such a calming presence and wizened quality that was hard to ignore.

"Professor Ewing will be sitting with us," Dumbledore said, motioning to the Divination teacher. Juniper Ewing had the longest hair that Sam had ever seen, and it was pale, white-blonde, almost the same color as her skin, which was so pale, it was almost blue. Her eyes were tiny and blue, and she always wore thick, velvet mauve robes with tiny silver moons all over them. Her voice was hugely high, and her frame was hugely petite, her robes accounting for half of her weight.

"Professor," Sam smiled at the woman, whose eyes were currently closed.

"I heard from a concerned colleague of mine that Miss Evans brought you back to the Hospital Wing?" Dumbledore began, sitting in his large, throne-like chair, "Please sit," he added, motioning to one of the smaller, but still comfortable recliners. Sam did so carefully.

"Yes, sir, she did."

"She was under the impression that you suffered some memory loss?"

Sam nodded, "I can't really tell you whether I did or not..."

"You don't remember?" Dumbledore finished, not unkindly. Sam blushed and nodded again, "You had a very traumatic accident. I myself was very worried that day. I had faith that Poppy would fix you up, but a clean bill of health would have been unheard of."

"Yes, sir."

"I suppose, my dear, what I must ask you first is: do you want your memories back?"

Sam thought for a moment. She thought about those horrible black holes that kept appearing when she would attempt to reference some memory, the look of concern that she earned from everyone around her. She wanted that to stop.

"Yes, I do."

"Wonderful. I find that it is best to remember everything you can, Miss Tchaikovsky, memories can be important. I myself can not imagine what I would do if I suddenly forgot everything I have thus retained," he smiled at her. "Now, you must be curious of what I had planned for you?"

She had been.

"Professor Ewing, apart from excelling at Divination, also worked as a nurse in the mental ward at St. Mungo's for fifteen years before she came to us," Dumbledore said. Ewing's eyes snapped open. She looked a lot like a cat, with her narrow eyes and small, upturned nose, "When I told her of your condition, she was interested to try a new sort of...technique on you that has had very good results. I had the procedure tested on myself a few years ago when I suffered a trauma as well. I can recommend it as a very pleased patient."

"Miss Samantha Tchaikovsky," Ewing spoke to her, "Would you come lie down?" Ewing motioned to a narrow bench at her side. Sam hesitated, then followed her direction.

"Do not worry, Samantha, she will be using the magic of occlumency to delve into your mind and retrieve your memories. As a witch, your memories are still present, they are just being blocked. Professor Ewing will be attempting to unblock them."

Sam nodded, but winced slightly. She had read about Occlumency in some of her classes, and she was not entirely sure she wanted a teacher delving into her mind. She was seventeen after all.

"_Legilimens_," Professor Ewing spoke, and Dumbledore's office vanished, "Please relax, Miss Tchaikovsky. I promise I will not be long in here. If I can just--" Ewing grunted as if she had hit a blockade, "--remove some of these barriers, you should eventually regain your memories." Ewing's voice was echoey and distant, but very loud, as if she were right next to Sam at the same time. Everything was rather dark, shapes moved back and forth across her vision.

And then she was back in the candlelight of Dumbledore's office. Ewing was beside her, next to Dumbledore. Sam sat up. Her head ached slightly, but she had become accostomed to the feeling.

"I believe I removed some of the obstacles," Ewing told her in her low voice, "There are more, though. Every week, I believe it would be prudent for you to come to the divination tower and allow me to complete the task at hand."

Sam looked to Dumbledore, who nodded encouragingly, so she did, too, "Alright. Thank you, professor."

"The memories should resurface as dreams. Then, they will be permanent again. I will see you next week at this time. Oh, and drink this before you go to sleep," the professor handed her a vial of thick pink liquid, "It should keep any _stray_ memories at bay," Ewing nodded at Dumbledore, then exited the room. Sam looked at the bottle.

"What did she mean by stray, professor?" she looked nervously to Dumbledore.

"Sometimes, with this procedure, memories that are not yours, but have nevertheless been lost, find a way into a patient's mind. And other times, new memories can create themselves. They are not at all based upon real events, and they can often times cause the patient to go slightly insane. That said, I would recommend you drink a sip of that every night. No matter what, it will help."

"Thank you, professor," Sam repeated herself to Dumbledore, who smiled.

"I hope this helps," he said, kindly, "Miss Evans was quite worried about what you might be forgetting,"

Sam felt herself start to blush again, "She was."

"I'm sure that it is for the better, to have those memories back again."

Sam nodded and reached for the door handle. She had just stepped onto the stair when she heard him add, "Mr. Black should be quite enthused as well."

She looked over her shoulder and saw Dumbledore smile, just for a second, and then she was spat back out into the hall.

* * *

Lily watched as Sam's figure traveled up the rows of tables and out of the Great Hall. She alone knew that Sam hadn't been able to remember some of her Transfiguration spells. Lily had offered to help her, but Sam wouldn't hear of it. She was determined to remember everything on her own.

Lily shook her head and looked back to her table mates. James was enjoying his dinner, repeatedly smiling at Lily, who returned it after she had swallowed. Sirius was still staring at where Sam had been standing a few moments before. In Lily's estimation, Sirius had been doing an inspired job of trying to get Sam to like him again. To be completely honest, though Sam couldn't remember, Lily had the feeling that she had never stopped liking Sirius. Nevertheless, it was entertaining to see him try to win her heart one more time.

"She isn't really going for extra work, is she?" Sirius finally snapped his eyes away from the empty air and onto Lily, "I mean, she doesn't actually need to be challenged further?" He looked concerned.

"Are you saying she isn't smart?" Lily demanded smiling, "I can only imagine what it would feel like to have her kicking your butt in every class, have a concussion, then need extra work."

"That's exactly what I was thinking, and no, I think she's the smartest girl I've ever met," Sirius clarified.

"I'm under a friendly bond not to tell you anything about what she's doing," Lily said, "which is to say I am neither confirming nor denying her story."

"Girls..." Sirius muttered, looking at her darkly.

"You have that right," Lupin looked up from his soup. Lily had just found out that he and Jamie were breaking up, which was disappointing, but she really couldn't remember them doing anything but snogging when they were together, so it really wasn't surprising. She wasn't about to share this opinion, though. Lupin looked distraught, no matter what the relationship had looked like on the outside.

"What do you mean, 'girls', Padfoot?" James demanded, "Tchaikovsky's starting to like you again."

"You think?" Sirius asked, looking dubious, "I don't know. I think I'm annoying her."

"I think you're flirting with her. And I think she's flirting back."

"Maybe," Sirius allowed, looking happier, "We'll see."

"You gonna kiss her soon?" James asked, studying his friend closely. Sirius regarded him cooly.

"Tut tut, that's an intrusive question, isn't it?"

"That's a yes," James and Lupin chorused. Lily laughed.

"So, do girls kiss and tell?" Sirius asked of Lily, who felt all of the eyes of the boys in the hearing vicinity of the question turn to her.

"Sometimes, if it's good, I guess. Really good or really, really bad."

"Why would the tell if it was bad?" Lupin asked, looking concerned.

"So their friends don't have to go through it. They're more likely to tell about a bad snog than a good one."

"That's just cruel," James said, shaking his head.

"No, it makes sense," said Lily defensively, "If it's a really great snog, you don't want everyone knowing about it. They might try and get one of their own. But if it's really bad, then it doesn't matter either way."

"That's horrible," Sirius proclaimed.

"What about guys, do they?"

"Do they what?"

"Kiss and tell," Lily clarified.

"Uh,"

"Well,"

"You see,"

"Yeah, almost every bloody time," James allowed, finally.

"What?" Lily was shocked.

"Yeah, see, it's sort of like a bragging rights thing. Every snog is like a point and you always want to be the guys with the most points."

"Boys," Lily muttered, "That's awful. So you don't base it off of quality?"

"Hell no," Sirius lauged, "What would we do that?"

"I'm not sure," Lily responded, smiling as they all began to rise from dinner. They made their way slowly out into the hall and up to the common room. All of the Gryffindors spilled inside, the smaller ones going straight to their rooms, some of the gutsier fifth and sixth years tried to claim the best seats. Lily saw Sam seated on the couch, scribbling down some notes on a piece of parchment. She had taken her grey vest off, and her white shirt was unbuttoned.

James and Remus removed two fourth years from the armchairs nearest the fire. The boys had been trying to lay low, and they grumbled slightly as they took the colder chairs near the window.

"It's good to be at the top of the food chain," James announced, sitting down heavily. He grabbed Lily around the waist and she landed hard on his lap, "Hello there," James said, looking up at her pleasantly.

"Hi," Lily said, smiling back at him and putting her feet across one of the arms. She leaned her head against the velvet wing of the chair.

"Watch yourself," Sam said as Sirius sat down next to her, bumping her quill.

"Sorry," Sirius said, sounding at least half-apologetic.

"It's fine," Sam said grudgingly, siphoning the ink blot off of her page.

"Whatcha working on?" Sirius asked, looking over Sam's shoulder.

"Transfiguration,"

"Your extra work?"

Sam paused just long enough to blush, "Yes."

"You're such a liar."

"Shut up, Black."

"Sorry, just saying. You know, Sam, if you need any help, I am a reputable tutor," Sirius proposed the idea slyly, slipping in her first name for effect.

"Since when do you call me anything other than Tchaikovsky, Black?" Sam demanded, putting extra emphasis on his own last name, "I--you called me Chop Suey...right?"

Lily nodded encouragingly at Sam, but she saw that she was entering one of her blank zones.

"Yeah, I used to call you Chop Suey," Sirius said, looking at her sadly, recognising her lack of memory. Lily desperately made to change the subject.

"So how many points would you have, James?" she asked he boyfriend, who was sipping on a butterbeer. It was the last one left over from Sam's Release Party. He choked.

"What?"

"If each snog counted for one point, how many would you have?" Lily clarified, lifting one eyebrow suggestively, "C'mon, let's hear it."

"Lily--" James protested.

"C'mon Prongsie, 'fess up," Sirius prompted.

"Jesus," Lupin laughed at his friend's predicament.

"I don't think that's really appropriate--" James started.

"I'd have twenty-seven," Lily announced.

"Twenty-seven!" James repeated, looking stunned, "Bloody Hell, woman!"

Lily felt herself begin to blush.

"What about you?" she asked again.

"Twenty-seven?" James clarified.

"James, just tell me yours."

"No way. Can I have the names of all of these people?"

"Don't be stupid, just give me your number."

"Honestly,"

"I beat you, didn't I?" Lily pressed, smiling.

"You sure as hell did not," James countered.

"Yes I did,"

"No,"

"Yes,"

"No,"

"Uh-huh!"

"No,"

"Yes,"

"Forty-six."

"Forty-six?" Lily looked at him, thoroughly stunned, "Holy hell."

"Sorry, I shouldn't have told you."

"No, it's okay."

"It's not, I'm sorry."

"Don't worry," Lily countered, looking at him fondly. She really didn't care how many girls James had snogged--just so long as she was the only one adding points to the list right now.

"Lily..."

"It's okay," Lily stressed, standing up . She took his hand and pulled him out of the chair, "Don't worry about it," she stared into those hazel eyes that she loved and smiled. She started walking him towards the dormitory stairs.

"Where are we going?"

"I, for one, would like some more points," Lily said, her foot on the first stair. He grinned and picked her up, cradling her in his arms and taking her the rest of the way up. Sirius and Lupin wolf-whistled behind them, and Lily smiled. James got the door open and kicked it shut behind them, put Lily down on the bed so he could close the curtains. When he turned around she kissed him. He wrapped his arms around her waist, holding her closer to him. She loved nothing more than kissing James. It was absolutely wonderful. She pushed him down onto the bed and landed on top of him, kissing him harder, more intensely.

"Just so you know, the last ten of those points were from you," James clarified, his mouth on her neck. She smiled.

"Counting this?"

"No, this makes eleven," James told her, and she brought his mouth back to hers. Her fingers traveled down from his hair to his shirt and she began to fumble with the buttons. One, two, three, four, five buttons and his shirt was off. She ran her hands over the planes of his chest.

"Lily," he sort of groaned.

"Please," she begged, looking down at him. She smiled hopefully and started unbuttoning her own shirt.

"Lily, not now,"

"Why?" she demanded, kissing him with as much persuasion as she could muster. He moaned.

"That's hardly fair."

"That's why I did it," she said. This was what she wanted. She wanted James. Everything about James. He paused for a second and she was afraid that he was going to leave. He grabbed her waist again and stood, kissing her. He pushed her up against one of the walls. The stone was cold on her back, but she moaned anyway.

She kissed him, slipping her tongue through his lips and into his mouth. He detatched his mouth from hers and nibbled her tongue. It sent shivers through her. She felt his hands at her shirt. They started to go up under the material, then stopped. He buttoned her shirt again.

"Not tonight, Lils," he said, apologetically.

"Why?"

"Can't we just, well, make out?"

"Fine," Lily huffed, grabbing his bare shoulders and bringing his mouth to hers again. He smiled and picked her up again, putting her back on the wall again.

"I can't say I didn't like your shirt like that, though," he said, undoing his work and slipping her white shirt off over her shoulders.

* * *

Back in the common room, Samantha, Lupin and Sirius were all finishing up on their homework. Lupin wrapped up his parchment and tucked it in his bag.

"I think I'm going to turn in," he announced, his eyes shifting to one of the corners of the common room. Sam had a feeling that Jamie may have been occupying it at that moment.

"I think our dormitory's taken," Sirius said, looking amusedly up at the boy's bedroom. Lupin gave a wan smile.

"I had something to do, anyway," he rose and crossed to the corner. Sam allowed herself a look over to where she saw Lupin standing over Jamie. He was talking in a low voice to her, and eventually she half-smiled, took his hand and they exited the common room together.

"That's good," Sam said, "I think they needed to talk."

"Mmm..." Sirius said distantly.

They worked in silence, Sam having the constant feeling that she was being stared at. Sometimes when she would look up she would catch Sirius' eye. Admittedly, she enjoyed those little chances to look at him.

"So..." he said finally, wrapping up his own parchment, "Can I ask you something?"

"Depends on what it is," Sam conditioned, cautiously.

"Do you wanna play rock-paper-scissors?"

She looked at him, raising one eyebrow, "I hope you know I am absolutely wonderful at that game."

"I'll take that as a challenge, Tchaikovsky,"

She smiled and put out her hand. She pumped it three times then made a fist. He made a flat palm.

"Dammit."

"Can I ask you something else?" he inquired, briefly covering her rock with his paper.

"Sure," she said, cutting his second paper with her scissiors.

"Alright, why do you speak Russian?"

"Oh," she looked around the common room. There was no one else present. They were alone, "I guess I can answer that," she took a deep breath, "Russian was, well, no. Let's see. I was born in Russia."

She knew that much. It wasn't a memory, it was a fact. But as she dove further back into her subconscious, reaching for further information, she found that she was at another road block. She tried once more and found, with joy, that the blockade disappeared and she was facing the memories of her childhood. She sorted through them and found the already-sparse ones from her time in Russia.

"I didn't know that,"

"Yeah, I only ever told Lily."

"You don't have to tell me," Sirius said kindly, smiling at her.

"No, that's okay. So I was born in Russia and when I was three, my parents and I moved here, to the U.K. I remember Russia a little bit, especially in the winter because the snow reminds me of it all the time, but anyway, I grew up and my parents had me learn English. They learned it, too, and that was what we spoke at home. But when they would talk in private, they would use Russian. And I used to know it all, too, that was my first language, but I didn't understand a lot of it. But all of my grandparents still lived in Russia, and they only spoke Russian, so I started to learn."

"You know, my family's different, too," he said quickly.

"How?" she asked, smiling faintly.

"Well, the Black family...I'm the first one in Gryffindor."

"I knew that," she nodded her head, "James must have mentioned it," she clarified as he looked at her perplexedly.

"Yeah, all of my relatives were in the Dark Arts," he muttered, "I hated them all for it."

"Didn't you move out?"

"Yeah, in with the Potters. Nicest people in the world."

Sam nodded, smiling, "I'm glad you found a home you liked."

"Yeah," he agreed, "That was probably good. But I see my brother, you know, and it just reminds me of what I was--am," he corrected.

"What do you mean?"

"I don't like being reminded of what my family was like. They--they killed people."

"I'm sorry," she said quietly, their game slowing for a second, "You know, though, you're not like that."

He smiled, "Thanks, but I can't change who my family is."

"I know," she said, her eyes widening, "I couldn't change who my family was, either. When I was little, I really just wanted to be like everyone else, but I looked different from everyone, no one could say my last name, but I still loved my family."

"That's the difference between you and I," Sirius said darkly, producing a rock with a bit too much force behind it. It bouced off of Sam's leg, "I'm sorry," he said quickly.

"Don't worry. I had paper, so I win anyway," she smiled, "But it _is_ different. Though we were both different from our families, and I chose to be more like mine, and you chose to get away."

He nodded, "Pretty much."

"And here we are," she said, motioning around the common room, "It got us to the same place, no matter what we did."

He smiled and they played two rounds in complete silence.

"Oh," he said, staring at her closely. It made her uncomfortable, to be surveyed so closely, "can you say a Russian word?"

She smiled, "Otlichna."

"That's what you called Jamie's necklace, isn't it?"

She searched her memory and came up empty, "Maybe," she said apologetically.

"So what's auto-lichin?"

"Otlichna is excellent," she said. Another pair of scissors. Another point for him.

"Ot-leech-na?"

"Yeah. And then there's precrastna," she added, "that's for when something is just pretty damn amazing."

"Pre-crast-na?"

"Perfect," she said as he cut her own paper. She grimaced and he smiled, "Well, it's late," she said, rising from the couch.

"Yeah," Sirius allowed, looking up at her, "thanks for playing. I think I won, though."

"In your dreams, Black," she laughed, "and thanks for listening to me reminisce."

"I actually enjoyed it," he said, standing up, too.

"Right, well, good night then," she said, turning for the stairs.

"Yeah, good night Tchaikovsky," he called up to her. She shut the door behind her, but couldn't help leaving a hand resting on it, as if she were still playing rock-paper-scissors downstairs. She smiled and stripped out of her school uniforms, quickly replacing them with warm, flannel pajamas.

She was bizarrely excited to go to sleep. She grabbed the potion bottle from her pile of robes, unstopped it, and took a sip. It tasted much like Muggle medicine, and she shuddered as it entered her bloodstream. She corked it again, set it on the table, and climbed under the covers. She was asleep almost instantly.

It wasn't long before her first memory came floating back to her. The dark void transformed itself into the boy's dormitory door, wooden and tall. She saw her own hand reach out and knock on it. She opened it, saw Lupin and Sirius inside. Everything was moving very quickly. Sirius looked at her, Lupin tossed a package to her, which she caught and opened. She heard her voice say, "It's so pretty." There was a strange, interim moment, then she added, "It's otlichna." There was a snide exchange between Sirius and herself. He looked terrible. Then she was tossing the package back to Lupin, turning, leaving the room.

The memory ended, and she dreamt no more.


	18. Like a Drug

_Still don't own any characters that you recognise--except Samantha Tchaikovsky, you might start recognising her now._

* * *

_Hey guys. I'm sorry it's taken me so long. I've been really battling conflicting ideas with this, and I think I have something that should work. So. Take this and know that I am dutifully working on the next chapter, but no promises on when it's going to get out. Really sorry about that. Anyway, thanks for all coming back to read. I love you all._

_Keep in mind a few things: there are still four months until the end of the year, which is when James is going to propose to Lils, so I have a lot of time to account for; secondly, now that you all have a good idea of what I like to do to my stories, there is going to be at least one more big scene, not counting the Quiddtich cup (Gryffindor v. Slytherin, otherwise known as a must-see); and while we all read these with the full knowledge that Lily and James wind up dead, don't forget that when Harry meets up with Sirius, he isn't married....(in case you were wondering, this particular factoid messed with me. I hate it that someone as good looking as Sirius doesn't have someone.)_

_Hum dee dum._

_Also, I would like to say that I often mix between the British and American spellings of words. I apologise/apologize. I read a lot of British books, and therefore the spellings are in my head that way, but I live in the US, so there's a bit of a clash there._

_Love Always,_

_Fae_

**Like a Drug**

Lily woke the next morning early. Though it was March, when she looked out the window, she saw snow swirling to the ground in great flakes like cotton. She sighed and wrapped her arms around her knees, rested her chin on her knees and watched it snow. Finally, she threw back the covers and dressed in her uniform. Right before she put on her black robes, she shook Sam on the shoulder.

"Time for breakfast," Lily said as Sam groaned and rolled over, "Let's go."

"I'm coming," Sam whined, sitting up. Like Lily, she saw the snow and watched it for a moment.

"Pretty, huh?"

"I--I can remember," Sam said, holding a hand to her head.

"What?"

"I can remember every time I saw it snow," she told her, looking out the window with wide eyes and a shocked expression.

"Really?" Lily asked, sitting on the bed next to her. Sam nodded.

"It's all there! Oh Jesus, my head hurts though."

Sam stood and began dressing in her robes. Lily remained on the bed. Something new caught her eye. There was a stopped-up bottle on Sam's table, crystal and containing some pale potion of which Lily had no knowledge.

"Sam, what is this?"

Sam turnd around, stumbling a bit as she balanced on one foot while she pulled on her sock.

"Oh," she smiled, "I wasn't going to tell you, but Dumbledore talked to me and he and Ewing are trying some sort of procedure on me, so I can get my memories back. I have to take some of that every night before bed, it helps."

"That's...." Lily paused, looked at Sam's eyes. They were bright, almost a bit too much so, "If that's what you want. And Dumbledore says it's okay..."

"He did," Sam assured her, "C'mon, Lils," she pulled her up off the bed, out the door, down the stairs and into the common room. "I can remember every time I ever saw it snow. It's all clear, like it's just happened now. And I can remember all of the spells we learned this year, all of the potions, curses, hexes, it's all back. That part anyway."

Sam was so enthused at the prospect of remembering, that Lily almost forgot to worry about the potion. Almost.

"Sam, I have a few minutes before class, and I had something I had to check in the library..."

"Don't worry, I'll see you later!"

"Alright."

But Sam had already disappeared down the stairs to the Great Hall. Lily watched her for a moment. There was something slightly different about her, a bit too much spring in her step, a bit too much shine in her eyes. She turned and proceeded to the library doors.

She was surprised to see Sirius and James at a back table.

"Hey," Lily said in passing.

"Evans,"

"'Morning,"

Lily perused the shelves quickly, having nearly memorized the positions of all books here. She found the one she was looking for in less than thirty seconds, removed it from the shelf, and joined James and Sirius at their table. She dropped the heavy volume on her lap and flipped through the pages.

"Really, at this hour in the morning?" James asked, looking disproving. Then he smiled.

"Just checking something really quickly....here," Lily pointed to the caption on the page:

_Codeinogg: A fairly recent discovery, Codeinogg has been known to help the drinker in mental tasks, such as silent spells, regaining of memory, or purposeful losing or stealing of memories. Though every trial has had the intended outcome, many wizards have come to the conclusion that it carries a high risk of dependency, often putting the drinker into many states of mind (ie. Vertigo, Deja Vu, Addled, etc.)_

"Codeinogg?" James read over her shoulder, "Doesn't even sound real."

"Yeah," Lily said absently, her mind on the bottle sitting in the dormitory, "I'll see you both later, okay?"

"Alright..."James looked at her, "Lily, is everything okay?"

"It's all fine," she managed to smile, "Everything's fine."

"Alright. If you need anything..."

"Thanks," Lily gave him a quick kiss on the cheek, reshelved the book and exited the library at high speed. She had to check up on Sam, make sure that she was alright. She had seemed sober enough when Lily had left her. And she only took a small amount every night, right? Lily gave herself a mental shake as she entered her first period. Sam was fine. Everything was fine.

* * *

Lily and Sam had spent seven years inside magical walls, and in that time, they had nearly perfected the Muggle skill of note-passing so that it could have been considered a sport or an art. They rarely sat next to each other, and even when they did, notes were one of those imperative aspects to their educational careers.

Now, as they sat through a horribly uninteresting seminar in charms, Lily wrapped her tiny fragment of note around the base of her quil.

"Lily, can I borrow a quil?" Sam asked in a perfect tone--not too loud as to be obvious, but loud enough to be heard.

"Sure," Lily handed the quil and note over to her. Sam unwraveled it and read:

_How are you feeling? Had any memories resurface?_

Sam dipped her quil in her ink and scribbled back: _I'm fine. I feel really good. My head hurts a bit, but I feel pretty great. And no new memories. Yet._

She tossed the note across the space between them at the same time that Lily purposefully dropped her own quil on the ground. She picked up both and read the note quickly, wrote a reply and flicked it over to skid to a stop on Sam's desk.

_Good. I read up on the potion you're taking. It can help you, but just tell me if you feel weird. _

Sam shook her head and smiled at Lily's concern: _Dumbledore prescribed it. I wouldn't worry too much. Thanks though. And I will tell you. _

She stuck her note in one of her many empty chocolate frog wrappers that she kept for such occasions, and passed it to Lily. Lily scanned the note quickly and nodded curtly. A mischievous smirk passed over her face and she started a new roll of parchment, replaced it in the wrapper: _How's Sirius? _

Sam looked over out of habit at the boy sitting beside her. He had taken notice of she and Lily's note extravaganza, and was now trying to look over Sam's shoulder. She tilted the note away from him and wrote quickly back: _How would I know? I think the real question here is how's James?_

Lily laughed when she read it: _He's excellent._

_I know. So are you...so where do you think this is going?_

Lily stared at the note for a long while, then put her quil to the parchment and wrote thoughtfully.

_I'm not sure. I don't know where I want it to go. I don't want it to stop..._

Sam smiled as she read the words on the page that she already knew to be true. She honestly didn't see Lily and James either leaving one another. Ever. The way that James looked at Lily, the way Lily looked back, snuck little glances at him during class, smiled when he looked at her. It was so…familiar. Sam had seen those looks all during her childhood.

Sam looked through the dreams of her childhood—her first ten years that she had relived last night, and saw that same look exchanged between her parents. It was strange, to be sure, to see her parents, well, parental love mirrored by her best friend and boyfriend, but it was comforting. Lily wasn't going to be hurt, and that made her happy to be sure.

She looked over at Lily and nodded with a smile, then tore up the note into small pieces.

"Can I see those?" Sirius leaned in to whisper in her ear.

"No," she hissed back, pulling out her wand from her bag and pointing it at the paper, "Scourgify," she whispered and the ink disappeared from the page.

"What were you writing about?" Sirius asked as they rose from their seats for the end of class.

"Nothing," Lily injected quickly, catching the strain of conversation, "Just asking if Sam's medicine was help…"

Sam shoved her elbow gracefully into Lily's side with a large smile, but Lily had already said too much.

"You're on meds?" Sirius looked at Sam with a little bit of worry in his eye, but complete jeering in his tone.

"Dumbledore gave me something to help my memories come back," Sam said defensively.

"Oh, that's good," Sirius ameded, "Is it working?"

"I remembered stuff about being a little girl last night," Sam told them, feeling a bit uncomfortable as they all looked at her, expectant of her answer. She didn't tell them about her sessions with Ewan. The situation was uncomfortable enough.

"That's really good," Sirius said, "I'm glad."

"Yea—" Sam nodded, but a feeling of unavoidable nauseouness came over her, and she doubled over.

"Sam!" Sirius grabbed her arm.

"Are you okay?" Lily touched her shoulder. There was a throbbing in her head that she couldn't escape, it wracked her body, and for a moment, her vision doubled and tripled.

"I'm fine," she muttered, embarrassed at the episode. What was happening to her?

"Sam, I think you should go to the Hospital Wing," Lily advised, looking concerned. Sirius nodded as he supported her almost completely in his arms.

"As if I haven't been there enough?" Sam tried to smile.

"This isn't a joke," even James looked serious.

"I'm fine," Sam insisted. She was indeed, feeling one hundred percent her normal self, "I'm probably just hungry. Didn't eat enough at lunch."

And with that she freed herself from Sirius' arms which suddenly felt like vices holding her in place, wrote the entire incident off as a lack of energy. But she knew it wasn't.

Dinner's conversation was cheerful, but obviously forced. Everyone kept throwing sideways glances at Sam, as if they expected her to keel over dead at any second. But she didn't. She laughed and joked and ate and drank and stood up on her own, walked herself back to the common room. Lily hovered behind her anxiously. It made her annoyed, that they didn't all think she could take care of herself. It was almost as if they didn't trust her to understand how she was feeling.

After an hour of closely-monitored homework, she couldn't take it anymore.

"Please stop, Lily," she said, taking a sharp breath in through her nose as she felt her temper boil. She rarely got truly upset, but she felt such an episode coming on.

"Stop what?" Lily asked in mock surprise as she snuck another look at Sam.

"Lils, I'm seventeen. I know how I'm feeling, and I'm feeling just bloody peachy. Stop looking at me like I'm going to explode if you don't." Sam snapped at her. Sirius, who was sitting on the couch beside her, jumped at the sound of her raised voice.

"What's with you?" James asked, jumping to Lily's defense. Were they all really that stupid?

"What do you mean?" Sam replied immediately, "There's nothing wrong with me. What's making me upset is –"

"Is your medicine," Lily said quietly.

"What?"

"It's your medicine, Sam. The potion is making you irritable."

"Oh ho, I'm irritable. That's bloody otlichna. Bloody otlichna," she repeated, "I'll see you all tomorrow," she slammed her book shut and a first year jumped, "What's making me upset is the fact that you all don't think I'm intelligent enough to know what I'm feeling. And you don't trust my judgement! Dumbledore gave me that potion, and I trust Dumbledore. But Dumbledore's opinion just isn't good enough for the likes of the Head Boy and Girl, is it? Maybe in the morning, I'll be less bloody irritable!" she said, moving quickly up the stairs, muttering a string of Russian curse words beneath her breath.

In truth, she felt awful. Her head didn't hurt anymore, but the general stupidity of the people downstairs—the people who were her friends—was making her sick. They had never seemed this terribly before, but it was so obvious now, she wondered how she could have missed it.

"Never mind them," she muttered, stripping out of her uniform. She uncorked the medicine and took a sip. It fired down her throat and she shuddered, more intensely this time. Again she fell asleep before she recognised her eyes had closed.

As she had seen all of her childhood and school career up until her sixteenth birthday, there really wasn't much more to dream. Her dreams began at the start of the summer holiday last year. She had been so relieved to get out of school, and she saw herself very very close to succumbing to the feeling of deep attraction that she had for Sirius Black. It was harbored deep down inside of her, but it had come to fruition several times that sixth year. She recalled being jealous when he would talk to other girls, then mysteriously snubbing him when he spoke to her. She was driving herself crazy, and the opportunity to be away from him was a wonderful chance.

Her family was waiting for her at the station, all of her siblings and her parents, she hugged each of them tightly. They were her refuge from every insanity that she suffered during the school year. And then she was whisked away into the Muggle world in which she had been raised. There was no magic here. You stirred your soup by hand, fetched something by moving your legs. It was both marvelously familiar and bitterly irritating at the same time. She slugged through monotonous days babysitting her siblings, each marked by the number of times that each screamed at her. She took Russian classes, slowly began to reclaim the language that had once been her own. She worked through her summer projects from school, wrote to Lily.

Her last regained memory before she woke up was coming to school, and the undeniably good feeling she had when she saw Sirius Black again, knew that she would be in his company, at least for a small fraction of each day.

* * *

"What the hell was that?" James asked as the girl's dormitory door slammed. Sam had just told them all off in a very un-Sam-like fashion, then stomped off to bed.

"It wasn't her," Lily said, "It's the medicine. I don't think it's safe for her to be taking."

"I'll say," Sirius muttered, "Not safe for her, not safe for the rest of us to be sure."

"Don't." Lily warned.

"Don't what?"

"Don't make a joke out of it, and don't bring it up to her. She probably doesn't even know what's going on. Please, just let me take care of it," Lily begged.

"And how are you planning to do that?" Sirius asked.

"I'm going to talk to Dumbledore," Lily announced, her mouth making the decision for her before it had really cemented into her mind.

"Now?" asked James, "It's nine. You can't be out of the dormitory."

"I'm going. I'll…I'll make something up," Lily protested.

"Evans, you aren't the best liar," Sirius told her, looking amused.

"I don't care, I'm going," Lily said, standing up and starting towards the door. James grabbed her arm.

"If you're going—" he hesitated a moment and looked at Sirius, who raised an eyebrow, "take this," James said, letting go of her and running up the stairs to the boy's dormitory. Lily looked after him in confusion.

"He wouldn't," Sirius said, shaking his head. James reappeared a second later, carrying a silky, fluid bunch of material, "He would," Sirius amended, laying back down on the couch.

"Here," James thrust the bunch towards her.

"What is—oh," Lily sighed, taking the material, "where did you get this? When did you get this?" she looked at James in amazement.

"My family has had it for a while," James told her, "It's mine now."

Lily just nodded, dumbfounded. She was holding an invisibility cloak. She had never, ever thought that they existed, not even as a child. And now she was holding one in her hands, a possession of her boyfriend's. But it was more than possessing something that he owned. This was something bigger. There were secrets—big secrets—between them now. This was something that he had only shared with his best friends. He probably wasn't ever supposed to show her.

"Go," James said.

Lily nodded again, then, very fluidly, kissed him. He looked incredibly flustered for some reason, and couldn't really meet her eye.

"I'll be back," she said to no one in particular—maybe to herself, "Please let Sam alone," she added, and left the common room, wrapping the cloak around her. The halls were incredibly quiet, and she tracked through them with only one encounter, that of Argus Filch's new kitten. While Lily had never, ever disliked animals (particularly adorable little kittens), she hated Filch's feline, which she heard was named Mrs. Norris. Without even stopping to consider who Mrs. Norris was or might have been, Lily tread carefully around the tiny animal with its malicious eyes that were incredibly narrowed, instead of the wide, innocent eyes of most babies.

Finally, she found herself in front of Dumbledore's gargoyle. She tried ever kind of candy she could think of, to no avail. Often, it seemed as if the gargoyle was shifting positions slightly, as if annoyed that she was waiting there so long. She wracked her brains, through candy cane to toffee, and still it did not move.

"Jelly bean? Chocolate? Truffles? No…" Lily stared at the statue, "Bubble gum, jawbreakers, gummy bears, gummy worms?"

The gargoyle stirred in its spot, she was sure of it.

"That's close? Gummy something…gummy….gummy…"

"Chewing gum," said a voice behind her. She turned to see Professor Dumbledore, "It's just chewing gum, Miss Evans."

Lily hesitated beneath the invisitbility cloak. Could he really see her? He was staring right at her. She finally pulled back the hood.

"Did Mr. Potter let you borrow that? That was awfully kind of him," Dumbledore continued, "What can I help you with so late this evening, Miss Evans?"

"Well, it's Samantha, sir."

"She is a terribly lucky girl to have such a concerned friend," he returned, "What is it?"

"She—the medicine isn't good for her."

Dumbledore nodded, "Did she get upset?"

Lily nodded.

"Miss Evans, what Miss Fletcher went through is something that we all hope we will never have to experience. But she did experience it, so now we have to hope that she will be able to recover. But the truth is, any full recovery with no side effects is completely out of the question. Codeinogg, as I'm sure you identified it to be, is a very fickle potion. It will return most memories, which would result in the recovery that we hope for Miss Fletcher, but it will come at a price.

"You are right to be concerned for her, but I believe her to be a very intelligent and courageous, as well as tough-skinned witch."

"I agree sir," Lily tried to smile.

"But if anything seems particularly worrisome, please tell me again. But for now, just be especially careful with her. I know she has a famed sense of humor, but few things are going to appear humorous to her right now. Treat her carefully, as I'm sure you usually do."

"Yes sir, thank you." Lily started to turn around, "Good night, sir."

"Good night, Miss Evans. Oh, and did Mr. Potter talk to you about my offer?"

Lily shook her head and pursed her lips in questioning.

"Ah. I had hoped that was why you were coming to find me. Talk with him."

Lily nodded, still looking confused. Then she turned and whipped the cowl of the cloak back over her head and disappeared into the hall. When she entered the dormitory again, she saw that the only person left was James. He was sleeping on the couch, and she stood a moment and watched him. He looked exceptionally peaceful and young when he was asleep. Still absolutely handsome and charming, but more more at ease. His eyes darted beneath his eyelids as he dreamed, and Lily had a strange aching in her stomach to be in those dreams.

Finally she put her hand on his shoulder. He jumped and sat up immediately. His face relaxed when he saw it was Lily, but it never returned to its peaceful slumber state.

"Here," Lily said softly, handing the cloak back to him

"What did he say?" James asked, rubbing his eyes beneath his glasses.

"He said we should expect this from her. That the potion does make her do it, but it's the only way for her to get her memories back."

"There's no other way?"

Lily shook her head.

"I'm sorry, Lily," he touched her arm.

"Don't worry about it. I just hope all of this will be over soon and she'll be better."

"I know that Sirius feels the same way," James smiled, "I think he really likes her. Really really."

"Really?" Lily grinned.

"Yeah, he misses her, and he's worried about her. I'm worried about him. I've never seen him worried about a girl he dated before."

Lily shook her head, "That's crazy."

"We do some crazy things."

She nodded and it was quiet for a moment.

"Thanks," she said finally, gesturing at the cloak, "You didn't have to show it to me though. If it was a secret or whatever, you don't have to tell me."

He started to laugh, "Lily, why would I not tell you anything?"

She didn't have an answer. But she did have question.

"Dumbledore said you had to tell me something?" she raised an eyebrow in questioning.

"Oh!" James said, "I forgot. And I was waiting for a good time to talk to you. He heard from someone that we were both interested in being Aurors, both against the dark arts. And he asked me about it."

"What did you say?"

"The same thing, that we do both want to be Aurors, fight the dark arts, stuff like that. He said he's making a sort of organization for the good side, the side against Voldemort. It's called the Order of the Phoenix."

"The Order of the Phoenix?" Lily repeated. James nodded.

"Lily, he wants us to join."


	19. Quitters

_Still don't own any characters that you recognise--except Samantha Tchaikovsky, you might start recognising her now._

* * *

_Hey all. It came to my attention that I called Sam "Miss Fletcher" during the last chapter. I would like to publicly apologise for this horrific error on my behalf. I was penning another fanfic at the same time as this chapter, and the girl in the other story has the last name of Fletcher. I'm so very sorry that I didn't catch that, and I hope it didn't cause too much confusion. Sorry, guys. Lo serio._

_So anyway, about this chapter. It starts off with some rapid fire changes of view, but they all come to fruition later, as I'm sure most of you will catch on. Things are starting to happen...oh yeah. Ha ha. I just have to remember to keep my plots (and characters :D) straight! _

_Also, I would like to say that I often mix between the British and American spellings of words. I apologise/apologize. I read a lot of British books, and therefore the spellings are in my head that way, but I live in the US, so there's a bit of a clash there._

_Really, any comment is wonderful and appreciated!_

_Love Always,_

_Fae_

**Quitters**

Sam woke up the next day with the sun blaring through the window in her eyes. She sat up suddenly, with the horrible feeling of being late. No, she couldn't be. She looked at her watch. She was. Her class started in two minutes.

She jumped up and grabbed her school robes, threw them on and sprinted out of the dormitory. She never saw the small piece of parchment that had been carefully placed on her pillow so quietly as not to disturb her, float down to land on the floor.

* * *

Lily didn't even look up when the chamber door opened with a decidedly timid amount of force. She knew Sam was there, late for class for the first time in her life. Lily hadn't woken Sam up for her classes. When she herself had exited the dormitory that morning, Sam had been in such a deep sleep that for a moment, Lily acutally was afraid that the codeinogg had killed her. After taking a careful pulse, she had left for the Great Hall, breakfast, James, and class. She hadn't thought that Sam was going to wake up.

Lily looked straight ahead as Sam took the seat quietly next to her.

"That will be your first tardy to my class," said Professor O'Garrison without looking away from the board where she was lecturing on the evolution of Muggle cleanliness (washboards to washing machines.)

Sam didn't even speak. Lily snuck a peek at her. Her face was flushed and she was looking down at her blank page of notes, but her eyes were near their normal selves--nothing of that belligerent being she had been last night. No, she almost looked as if she had never been anything except Samantha Tchaikovsky. As if a bludger had never sent her hurtling to the ground, as if the resulting impact had never changed all of their lives forever.

Sam didn't look up at Lily, but rather penned a short note across her piece of parchment.

_Why didn't you wake me up?_

Lily leaned over slightly to write her answer.

_After last night, I thought you needed your sleep._

_What do you mean?_

Lily's heart sank as she read the words on the page. The codeinogg was taking Sam's memory almost as much as the bludger had. Lily looked over at her. Sam's face was wrinkled in slight, peaceful questioning.

_Nothing, never mind._

* * *

Mina Kellar had just come back to the seventh year girl's dormitory for a quick change of clothes. She had dripped a small bit of syrup on her skirt during breakfast. Now it was her off period, and she had decided to take the opportunity to change her clothes. She couldn't go through the day with such a blaring stain, after all.

On the way up, she had passed James Potter and Sirius Black, otherwise known as the two hottest boys in their year. It was depressing to think that this was the last year that she would ever see either of them. She didn't want to admit it, but she would probably never ever find another boy whose nose was as perfect as James Potter's, nor one whose body was as sculpted as Sirius Black's. She involuntarily licked her lips as she zipped up the back of her new skirt. The thought of those two...

Maybe James and Sirius were still in the third floor corridor, and she could attempt some flirting before her potions class. She happened to look down at the floor as she made to go back out. There was a note, clearly written in male penmanship. Seeing as it was on the floor, in the exact middle of all of the beds, it was fair game to read, and she picked it up.

_Sam,_

_Lily told me not to talk to you about it, but I wanted to let you know that I'm here for you, whatever it is you're going through right matter what it is, just let me know, okay? _

_I know I'll never be able to, but I also wanted you to know that I would have taken that bludger for you any day._

_Sirius_

What was this? A short, but undeniable love note from Sirius Black to Samantha Tchaikovsky? Mina felt her throat tighten as she thought of Sam and Sirius together. Sure, James Potter was taken by Lily Evans, but Sirius was--of course--available. Wasn't he? This sure didn't sound like the writing of an available boy.

But had Sam seen it?

Mina decided to take a chance, and stuck the note in the clean, new pocket of her skirt.

* * *

"So what exactly did I do last night?" asked Sam, gathering her books back into her bag and exiting Muggle Studies behind Lily. She really wasn't all that upset about being late. She had over a hundred percent in that class, and she did hate O'Garrison. It was a win-win situation. She had got a little bit of extra sleep out of the deal.

"Nothing, Sam, I...I was confused," Lily told her, but she didn't meet her eyes.

"Lily...you didn't look at me when you said that," Sam said quietly as they traveled down the hall. Lily turned and looked her straight in the eyes.

"I was confused," she repeated, "Sorry. I thought you would like some extra sleep. I know I would have," she added with a smile, and Sam returned the gesture.

"I can almost completely remember this year," she told her happily.

"Really?" Lily asked, looking happily surprised.

"Yeah, I think I'm only missing a few of the last few months. Maybe only two."

"That's great, Sam!" Lily smiled again.

"Yeah, I hope that by the end of this week, I'll have all of my memories back, and it'll be just like I never lost them at all!"

It was a far-fetched hope, but a hope nonetheless. She was allowed to dream, wasn't she?

"I hope so, too, Sam," Lily said to her as they filed into the Potions dungeon.

* * *

The day passed quickly, uneventfully, and Lily was eternally grateful for that fact. After dinner, they all piled into the common room for a short round of homework. Lily sat in front of James on the couch, the entirety of herself supported against his chest. Sam sat in front of the fire, lying on her stomach and doodling aimlessly, Sirius in the chair above her, throwing bits of paper on her whenever he became bored. Lupin sat in another chair, his head bent studiously over his books. Peter was no where to be found.

"So the Quidditch match against Slytherin is coming up," said James, clearing his throat. Sam looked up at him.

"Am I going to be able to play?"

"I think so," said James, fairly, "I talked with Dumbledore and he said that you'll need to be cleared once by Madame Pomfrey before next Saturday. The match is two weekends from today, so that should give you enough time."

Sam nodded, flicking one of Sirius' papers off of her sketch.

"I really feel like we're going to win," she sighed heavily.

"That sure would be a nice way to end the year, eh?" Sirius raised his eyebrows in agreement, "'We'll be seeing you, and, oh by the way, we'll take this Quidditch cup as well, thanks very much.' That would show them, wouldn't it?"

They all laughed, Sam a bit less enthusiastically than the rest of them.

"What's wrong, Sam? My humor not to your taste?" Sirius asked, noticing her detatchment instantly, as Lily had the feeling he only told jokes for Sam's enjoyment anymore.

"No, that's not it. I was just remembering...I had a dream last night about the Christmas ball," she said, scruitinizing him through her upturned eyes, "I, well, I had forgotten you had asked me. It was quite nice," she added, thoughtfully.

"It was," he agreed, smirking slightly, and he caught James' eye.

"Yeah, well, I'm going to go to sleep," said Sam, closing her books and standing up.

"Alright," said James.

"'Night," said Sirius, in a tone that was almost questioning, as if he expected her to do or say something else. She didn't.

"I'll be up in a bit," Lily told her as she turned and hiked up the stairs to the dormitory.

"I think I'll hit the sack, too," said Sirius, standing with a decidedly sour look about him.

"Man, you only stay up for her anymore," said James, shaking his head.

"Are you going to ask her out, soon?" asked Lily, smiling at Sirius. She felt James' arms around her tighten slightly.

"I don't know," said Sirius, pausing on the stairs, "I was just going to be her friend, you know, help her out? But I guess she didn't even take to that idea," he muttered under his breath bitterly.

"What are you talking about?" asked Lily and Remus, each in a respectively concerned and annoyed tone.

" It's nothing, never mind," he said with a sense of finality, closing the dormitory door with a wee bit of excessive force.

"I'm going to go check on him," said Remus finally, in the same annoyed tone, "Lily?"

"Mm?"

"Just make sure to tell Sam to kiss him soon, or people are going to start paying," Remus' smile was ghostly and faint.

"I'll do that," Lily smiled back as he, too, disappeared up the stairs, and she and James were left alone. She snuggled back against him, and his arms wrapped around her. She took his hand in her own.

"Have you thought at all about the Order of the Phoenix?" she asked James, looking down at their intertwined hands.

"A little. You?"

"Yeah, I have."

"What do you think?" he asked her. A strange sensation whooshed through her, as she recognised this type of conversation as the kind that she often heard married couples have: one that involved something they were doing together, that would effect their lives and relationship.

"I...I think I'd like to join," she said with little hesitation.

"Me too," he said.

"It's, well, I know being an Auror is what I want to do, and I would love to have a spot next to Dumbledore to fight Voldemort and everything. I'd love the opportunity to make a difference fighting him."

"I think so, too," said James, kissing the top of her head lightly.

"Well, what do you think about it?"

"The same thing," he said carefully.

"James, really, what do you think?" she twisted around to look at his very serious face.

"I shouldn't--"

"Tell me," she insisted.

"I think I want to take down that son of a bitch in any way possible," he told her, a hard glint in his eye. She paused for a moment as she looked at him. He looked so grown up in that light, talking about real decisions, cursing out the most dangerous dark wizard in history...

"I'm glad we're doing it together," she said quietly.

"I wouldn't have it any other way," he said, his eyes changing as he searched her own. His face softened as he smiled.

"Me neither," she turned back around so that she was looking at the fire.

"He also asked Sam and Sirius to join," James told her.

"What did Sirius say?"

"Absolutely. I worry about him sometimes. He's so bent on proving that he's the opposite of his screwed up family..." James trailed off, and Lily nodded.

"Sam doesn't know anything about it," Lily told him, "Are you sure he asked her?"

James nodded.

"He knows that she's in a delicate state right now, but he told me that he wanted her to fight with us."

"I know Sam. She'd want to."Lily said with a bit of force. But she knew the Sam before the accident. This new Sam, the one who was forgetting, remembering things with the help of potions that put her into wild mood swings...no. This Sam was the same Sam. She'd want to do it.

"I told him that, but he said he was going to wait to ask her until later this year."

"So what does this mean for us?" Lily asked him.

"Well, he said it's like a job. You're technically an Auror, so you get paid, but it's a private organization, so you actually get paid a little bit more. He said there will be assignments that we have to do, people we have to meet, maybe even people we have to, well, take out. Places we'll have to go, more people we'll have to protect."

Lily was quiet. She hadn't really considered killing someone. That was a tall order. Sure, protecting, she could take that, but killing? James seemed to read her mind.

"I know it's a lot..."

"No, it's just. Well, I...er..."

"Never killed someone before?" James assumed. She choked slightly and nodded.

"I, I don't know if I could." she felt her entire attitude towards the Order changing quickly, "I don't know, James," she told him, "I don't know about joining. It's a big decision."

"You don't have to decide today," he told her quickly, "I know. It is a big decision. He said he just wanted to know before the year was ended. That we would be starting as soon as we graduated."

She nodded silently.

"I'll think about it, okay?" she said, still trying to picture taking someone else's life from them, no matter how much wrong they had done in the world.

"Okay," he told her kindly.

"I--I think I'm going to get some sleep," she said, twisting to kiss him lightly on the lips.

"Alright," he said, watching her as she stood up.

"Good night," she said as she took the stairs.

"Good night," he said, "Lily?"

"Mm?" she turned around.

"I lo--I'll see you tomorrow?" he blushed hugely.

"Yeah," she nodded in affirmation, squinting a bit at the oddness of the comment, "I'll see you tomorrow."

She closed the dormitory door, changed her clothes and climbed into bed, pulled the covers up over her head. She stared at the complete darkness for a long time.

"Avada Kedav..." she whispered. She choked and tried again. "Avada... Avada...Avada Keda..."

She took a breath, but knew she wasn't able to say it. She turned to her side and fell asleep quickly.

* * *

Sam was in another one of her memories, experiencing more of this year. She was walking up the stairs to the boy's dormitory...she had just finished seeing herself kiss Sirius after leaving the Christmas dance, felt the same happiness in his presence that must have been real, felt the extreme disappointment from him not asking her out, not even to a little afternoon at Hogsmede, relived all of the painstakingly analytical flirting and non-flirting that she had attempted in order to win him back, and now as she climbed the stairs, Veronica's request that she go tell James the game was going to start half an hour earlier fresh in her ears, she paused at the door. Paused at the door just in time to hear Sirius Black's rant about her to his friends:

"I do not have a bloody relationship with that...that. Samantha Tchaikovsky is a right pain in my ass. I never should have kissed her that night, it was God awful, in fact. She's desperate and slutty, and she's lucky that I even looked twice at her."

She felt something drop away inside of her. Her first reaction was to run, maybe cry, or jump out the window. That would work too, wouldn't it? Yes, just a few steps across the room and out of the window. That would rid her of the horrible, knotting, wrenching pain in her chest that felt as if it was swallowing her entire heart whole...

Sam woke up with a huge start. She was sweating and was tangled completely in her bed clothes. She looked around the room wildly, and remembered that it was all a dream.

But it wasn't.

No, it was a memory. That had really happened to her. Sirius Black, the boy with whom she had been mildly flirting, had even accepted the fact that she liked, had once said that to her. She felt the same knotting wrench in her chest now, as if it had just happened. And she felt herself start to cry.

They were silent sobs, but she hated them anyway. She hated crying, hated that something that she cared about that much could come around to hurt her that much...she hated it. She looked over at her night stand and saw the codeinogg bottle, shining with an unnatural glow in the moonlight. That was what had caused her pain. And she wouldn't take it any longer.

She untangled herself from the mass of sheets and grabbed the bottle off of the table. She crossed the room to the window, threw the pane of glass open wide and breathed in a few huge, frigid breaths of the springtime air. They cleared her head, but the feeling inside of her wouldn't go away. She had just relived what was surely her worst memory. She still felt that same feeling of desperation, and for a split second, she thought about her window theory again.

But then she took the vial and, with all of her strength, hurled it out of the window.

The crystal spun in the air for a second, the moon glinting hard off of its surface, then it fell, slowly and almost gracefully, to the black abyss.

Sam heard the tiny, beautiful sound of crystal on stone.


	20. The Order

_Still don't own any characters that you recognise--except Samantha Tchaikovsky, you might start recognising her now…I hope…*long silence* (I know some of you are like "uh, Tchaikovsky?" Yeah, I'm onto you.)_

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_Hey all, next installment. Sorry this note is so short, but I, ha ha, sort of want to keep writing! I love you all anyway, so enjoy this for now!!!!!!!_

_Keep in mind a few things: there are still four months until the end of the year, which is when James is going to propose to Lils, so I have a lot of time to account for; secondly, now that you all have a good idea of what I like to do to my stories, there is going to be at least one more big scene, not counting the Quiddtich cup (Gryffindor v. Slytherin, otherwise known as a must-see); and while we all read these with the full knowledge that Lily and James wind up dead, don't forget that when Harry meets up with Sirius, he isn't married....(in case you were wondering, this particular factoid messed with me. I hate it that someone as good looking as Sirius doesn't have someone.)_

_Hum dee dum._

_Also, I would like to say that I often mix between the British and American spellings of words. I apologise/apologize. I read a lot of British books, and therefore the spellings are in my head that way, but I live in the US, so there's a bit of a clash there._

_Love Always,_

_Fae_

**The Order**

"Lily, I love you," James said. To his mirror. He shook his head and ran his hand through his hair, "Lily Marie Evans, I, James Potter, love you."

"Alright, I can honestly say that I really didn't think people actually did that," said Sirius, with a note of disdain so heavy, James was surprised that he didn't drop through the floor. Sure, he was being mocked, but he forgot to care. This was important.

"I need to tell her," he said with despair, "I tried to last night, but I can't. I started to, and then I just said that I would see her tomorrow."

"That's the thing, Prongsie, my man, you don't know if you will see her tomorrow. You need to tell her now because you never know what's going to happen. Things could change in the morning, you won't have control over that. The only thing you do have control over is what you did and how you did it, and that's what's going to make everything okay." Sirius said, well, seriously, staring out of the window. James stared at his friend, who had never said more than three connected words of encouragement, let alone an extensive, philosophical statement.

"I think that may be the least-stupid thing you have ever said," James told him appreciatively, straightening up and patting him on his back. Sirius sat down heavily on the bed. James could see that they had effectively changed places. He should say something philosophical back to him.

"Just...just go _be_ with her...okay?" James told him, struggling for words. Sirius looked up with a mixture of humor and complete gloom.

"Thanks for trying," he said, "No. No, you're right. I can't let anything else get in the way. I'm just going to be whoever she needs me to be. But I'm going to be right there with her."

"Good for you," James encouraged, completely relieved that Sirius had managed his own pep talk. He looked at himself in the mirror, messed up his hair, straightened his glasses, fixed his tie, moved his glasses so they were askew, finally decided that he would never, ever, be worthy to stand in Lily's presence no matter how he looked.

"Go get em, Prongsie," Sirius said, slipping out of the dormitory door. James nodded his head and followed him out. For perhaps the first time in his life, he felt truly nervous. He looked around the dormitory, couldn't find Lily. He saw Sirius sit down next to Sam before he turned around and went back upstairs.

In his trunk, he unearthed the map that he and the Marauders had created in their second year. He pulled out his wand and tapped the piece of parchment.

"I solemnly swear that I'm up to no good," he muttered, and from his wand tip, a web of ink began to appear. He searched the hallways and corridors for the little moving banner of Lily Evans. He had watched her movements so many times on the map, that he knew her particular banner was worn a bit on the top right side, and had a slight tear on the bottom. He found it--her--in record time, muttered "Mischief managed," to the map, replaced it in the trunk, and hurried off to the second floor corridor.

He saw her before she saw him. She was moving slowly up towards the owlery, a letter in her hand. At the sight of her, James lost ever second thought he had ever had.

"Lily!" he called, sprinting the last bit towards her, "Lily Evans!"

She started to turn around, but he caught her before she did so.

"Lily, I wanted to tell you last night...I love you so much, Lily. I couldn't say it...Lils, what's wrong?" James finally caught sight of her tear-soaked face. Surely, this wasn't his fault. Jesus, was he supposed to do something? Was it their anniversary? What would it be, a few months and two weeks? Maybe she was breaking up with him? Did she just hate him?

Lily didn't answer, just choked and handed him the letter in her hands. It had been crumpled, and it was hard to read the ink because of the tear splatters.

_Lily,_

_There was an accident. Mum and Dad are dead. Vernon and I made arrangements and there was a short burial yesterday. You didn't miss anything. There wasn't really anything to bury. Come home over Easter._

_Petunia_

"Oh Lily," James enveloped her in his arms, and he felt her collapse against him. They sat that way for a long while, James holding Lily while her entire body was wracked with horrible sobs. Each one hurt James' chest physically, as if his parents were the ones who had died. Finally, Lily cleared her throat and looked up at him. Her face was white, with tiny pink rivulets where the tears had ran their path down her cheeks.

"I--I was on my way to send Petunia a letter back saying...well, I don't know."

"Is there anything I can do for you? For your family?"

Lily shook her head, "You see what it says. Petunia and Vernon already took care of it," she spat the names, and James was a bit concerned at this dramatic mood swing, "My own parents--_die_--" she gasped the word, "two days ago and my own bloody _sister _can't wait for me to come home and bury them!" she threw the letter across the hall and let her face drop into her hands, overcome again with tears. James hugged her, as that was all that he knew to do.

He had never asked Lily much about her family. He knew she had a sister, but he hadn't known that this sister was married. They didn't sound like a wonderful pair, and for making Lily so upset, he felt something much like hate towards them both. And he had known that she had both of her parents. He had never met them...he could only think of how he had wanted to ask Mr. Evans for permission to ask for Lily this summer at graduation. And now...and now...

"I'm sorry," Lily whispered, looking up at him, "You shouldn't have to see me like this," she attempted a smile, but it looked painful.

"Lily, you are always beautiful," he said, rubbing her arm as she leaned her head on his shoulder.

"Mum and Dad would have loved you so much. I know I do..."

He couldn't think of anything to respond. This was hardly the time to kiss her passionately, as he had the urge to do at the moment. Had they, or had they not, just successfully professed their love for one another, without any awkward pauses or guilty looks? He swallowed hard and looked down at the red hair that rested heavily against him.

"Miss Evans?"

They both looked up to see Dumbledore standing over them. His face looked awfully and uniquely old, grave, and James thought there was something much like red around his eyes.

"Pr-professor," Lily greeted him.

"I heard about your parents. I want to extend my deepest condolences. Do you need to take a leave?"

Lily shook her head and something hard and bitter passed over her sorrow, "My sister and her husband have taken care of most of the arrangements."

"I wonder, Miss Evans, if I can invite you for a cup of tea in my office?" Dumbledore offered kindly, in a way that made it sound as if it were an invitation one would be best off not refusing.

"Thank you sir," she said, standing up, suddenly looking very strong, "I'll see you later, alright?" she said to James, turning around to look at him before she followed Dumbledore. And something in her eyes made him realize that this wasn't going to affect anything between them.

"Right," he said, standing and watching her until she disappeared completely with Dumbledore. He ran a hand through his hair and returned to the common room. Sirius and Sam were still on the couch, Sam apparently doing her homework and Sirius making an attempt to keep up. Ever since her incident, she had been working even more on her studies than Lily-- which was saying something--and she had been getting further and further ahead.

"Hey mate, how'd it go?" Sirius spotted him as he sat down heavily across from them.

"What happened to your shirt?" Sam asked, seeming in every way her normal self.

"Lily was, er, crying. Her mum and dad died in an accident two days ago."

"What?" Sam demanded, looking distressed, "Where is she?"

"With Dumbledore now," he reported.

"Oh," she said, calming down considerably, "When did she find out?"

"This morning at breakfast. You weren't down there with her?" James asked.

"No. I slept in. Didn't sleep very well," she trailed off, dodging the question almost completely.

"Oh."

"Did you tell her, though?" Sirius asked.

"Yeah, but it was kind of overshadowed by her parents dying and her sister and brother-in-law burying them without her present."

"They did what?" Sam demanded, "I don't even know why I'm surprised. Petunia's a horrible person. Vernon's even worse. They deserve each other in the worst way possible."

"Never met them," said James, nodding, "They sound charming."

"You'd hate them. I do. I tried not to, when I first met Petunia--she was dating Vernon during the summer of our first year--you know, because it's Lily's family and all, but they were awful. Petunia hates Lily because she's a witch. Well Petunia's a--"

"Calm down," Sirius urged, looking at her with cocked eyebrows.

"Sorry, it's just...they had no right to do that to Lily. Mr. and Mrs. Evans were the nicest people."

They sat in silence for a moment, then Sam looked up as if she had just remembered something, "What did you have to tell her?" she asked of James.

"Nothing," James mumbled.

"That you love her?" Sam smirked at him, "I think it's adorable, James. I just want invited to your wedding, alright?"

"Wedding--" James started to scoff, but the actual vision of marrying Lily silenced him, "You got it."

"Thanks," she grinned, "Now, when is she supposed to be done at Dumbledore's? I should talk to her."

"I'm not sure. She said she'll be back up here."

"Alright, I guess I'll wait then," she closed her books and stacked them up neatly on the side of the table.

"How are you done already?" Sirius demanded as she made to recline against the arm of the couch.

"I'll help you," she sighed, sitting up again.

"No--" Sirius declined, "I got it. You do what you want."

Sam stared at him, trying to decipher his behaviour, "Alright then," she said, sitting up completely and scooting closer to Sirius, who looked both confused and delighted at the same time, "What do you still have to finish?" Sam asked kindly.

"Um, Charms, transfiguration, a bit of potions and..."

"What have you finished?" she asked with a slight tone of exasperation.

"Nothing," Sirius admitted, looking at Sam guiltily.

"A wee bit distracted, there, Padfoot?" James asked, grinning as Sirius glared at him.

* * *

"Miss Evans, I would like to apologise once again for your loss," Dumbledore said, conjuring a large wing chair from his wand tip, "Please sit."

"Thank you," Lily said, perching delicately on the chair. Despite being so upset with Petunia and Vernon, she felt devastated. She had never given much thought to her parents dying. It only made sense that children would outlive their parents--but that was only by parents. To her, their child, it seemed ridiculous that she should live to see her parents die...

"Tea?"

"Yes please," she said, biting her lip in a determined effort to remain composed, "Just plain, is fine."

"Miss Evans, I have a particular habit of remembering the way every one of my students enjoys their tea. I know that you like a bit of lemon and two sugar cubes. And a slice of lemon on the side." he handed her the cup and saucer.

"Thank you," she said quietly, not daring to speak further, for fear she would begin to cry.

"You're very welcome."

They were quiet for a moment, Dumbledore sipping his tea, looking at an instrument on his wall as though it were of upmost importance. Finally, he opened his mouth to speak.

"Miss Evans, your sister told you your parents died in an accident."

"Yes sir," she confirmed.

"That is not so."

She choked on her tea and put her cup down, thinking it safer for everyone in the room, including the china, "What--what do you mean?"

"It was not an accident that your parents died. You are aware of the rising of a dark wizard who calls himself Lord Voldemort, yes? And his followers--"

"Death Eaters," she finished, "but my parents were Muggles," she added, confused. Surely he wasn't suggesting that her parents had been killed by magic. The only outlet they had to the magical community was, well, herself.

"It has become a favourite pastime of these Death Eaters to torture and kill Muggles," Dumbledore said, gravely, "Your parents were on an underground when a band of Death Eaters destroyed the tracks, causing it to wreck into the underground wall," he announced.

Lily sat, stunned. No. This couldn't really be the reason her parents were dead. They had probably just been in...in...in a car crash. Yes, something horribly, terribly and undeniably Muggle-ish. Nothing magical. But the look on Dumbledore's face said differently. Hell, Dumbledore himself said differently.

No, there was no denying it. Those Death Eating bastards that hid their faces and toyed with death had killed her parents, had killed her life, had taken them away, left a larger rift between her and Petunia and Vernon, who were her only family left now...

Those Death Eating Bastards.

And that "Lord" that they reported to, that coward with his fake name.

What she wouldn't give to be the one to take their lives from the. To annihilate the chance they had to destroy some other child's family and future. What she wouldn't do to execute them all.

"Professor," she said hoarsely, gingerly retrieving her tea.

"Yes, Miss Evans?"

"Does your offer still stand for your Order of the Phoenix?"

"It is always open," Dumbledore said, observing her over his spectacles.

"I would like to join," she said, fighting to keep her voice even, "And thank you for the tea, Professor, but I have to go talk to some other people right now..."

"The Order is looking to make its first meeting the summer of this year. Any efforts will be reported to the members directly," Dumbledore said as she straightened and headed towards the door, "and Miss Evans?"

"Yes, sir?" she turned with a fierce resolve.

"Revenge is not a shameful reason to take up a cause," he said, stirring his tea, "It is, however, a shameful reason to give that same cause up."

She was quiet for a moment, considering.

"Thank you, sir," she said, exiting quickly.

She stopped into the bathroom quickly before heading to the common room. She splashed her face with water, corrected her minimal makeup and took a few deep breaths before continuing down the hall.

When she entered the common room, it was nearly completely emptied, most of the younger years were off on the Hogsmede weekend. But it was cold, and, as seventh years, she and he peers had seen most everything that the small and charming village had to offer. James was sitting on a chair facing the couch where she saw Sirius' dark hair. James looked up as she entered and put down his _Daily Prophet._

"Hi," she whispered, crossing the room and standing by him.

"How are you?"

"Fine," she said quickly, not wanting to be treated so delicately. She looked over at Sirius and caught his eye.

"I'm sorry about your mum and dad, Evans," he said, and she had to admit it was nice of him. That was when she saw Sam, collapsed in sleep across Sirius' lap.

"Did you move her so she was like that?" Lily asked him, her lip curling in a smile.

"I did not," Sirius said, clearly affronted.

"He actually didn't," James said, "hard to believe, but truth is stranger than fiction. She was worried about you, but she said she was tired."

"Yeah I heard her up last night, over by the window or something," Lily said. Just then, Sam stirred and opened her eyes. Sirius looked horribly disappointed as she sat up.

"Lils," she said as she spotted her friend across the table.

"Hey," Lily said, and she wondered how long she'd have to put up with that pity look in everyone's eyes. It wasn't so bad with Sam. Her eyes said she was sorry, but she understood Lily at a deeper level than anyone else, and Lily reckoned she had a pretty accurate idea of what it was like to be in her position.

"I'm so sorry that they did that to you," Sam said firstly, then, "And your mum and dad..."

"Death Eaters," Lily said, before she could stop herself. Every eye turned to her in shock, "They were killed by Death Eaters."

"Oh my..." Sam put a hand over her mouth. James' and Sirius' faces set in hard expressions.

"I'm so sorry," James said, looking up at her, "I had no idea."

"Neither did I. That was what Dumbledore really wanted to talk to me about. He said that Death Eaters wrecked the underground they were on and that was how they died."

"Lily that's awful."

She nodded, "But it made me realize something and I--I told Dumbledore I would join the Order."

"Really?" James stared at her, "Lily, are you sure."

"Absolutely," she confirmed.

"Dumbledore's Order against Voldemort?" Sam asked, "Sirius was just telling me about it."

Lily and James nodded.

"I think I was more surprised to hear that you wouldn't be in it," Sam said matter-of-factly, and Lily knew she was right, "So what about you?" Sam asked of James.

"Definitely."

"Now that Evans is in," Sirius said, and Lily smiled.

"Nutcracker?" James spoke.

"I'm in."

"Padfoot?"

"Yes, Padfoot, how 'bout it?" Sam turned an amused face to the boy sitting by her.

"Yeah, was there any doubt?"

"Right then," James said, standing up, "Lily can I walk you down for lunch?"

"Sure," she accepted, righting herself.

"Hey, Potter?" Sam turned to look at the two as they left.

"Yeah, what's up?"

"When's the next practise? Tomorrow I am officially off of my 'accident leave.' Pomfrey can only keep me in for so long."

"Hey, congrats, Nutcracker. We'll take you back next Tuesday."

"Right captain," she said, turning back towards Sirius, and Lily couldn't help but marvel at what strange times these were, when the conversations between seventeen year olds fluctuated between whether or not they would join the fight to slay evil and whether or not Quidditch practise was on that week.

* * *

"I think that's it, then," Sam said, standing up. It was evening, and the moon shone through the window of the common room, nearly full, but still an awkward gibbous. She and Sirius had been in the common room all day, skipped lunch and dinner to finish their--well, Sirius'--homework before the week started again. She had been so tired that she had fallen asleep twice throughout the study session, much to her own chagrin.

She was exhausted from the night before. Her nightmares--memories, she forced herself to call them--had haunted her long after she awoke. They were terrible. The only respite that night had come at four in the morning, when, finally devoid of tears and anger and self-pity, as well as the mood-swinging Codeinogg, damn that vile drink, she had come to one conclusion.

"Yeah, I think," said Sirius, stretching his arms in a massive yawn. He looked up at her in a way that was so completely opposite from the way he had looked in her night—memory. He looked hopeful, wishful, and most of all, what made her the most nervous, lustful. She shrugged off the feeling that he gave her and mimicked his yawn. Hey, they were contagious, right?

"I had better get to sleep."

"Sam, you've been sleeping all day," he said, his voice full of something she couldn't, no, didn't want to place.

"I'm sorry," she said, turning so her back was facing him, hoping that the dying fire would cool her face.

"For what? Sleeping? I just wanted to make sure you were alright is all."

"I'm fine," she began, but cut herself off. She had promised herself that she wouldn't make up answers anymore to cover up for her accident, "No, actually, I had a rough night," she turned around to look at him and she couldn't pretend that the flash of jealousy on his face wasn't there.

"Anyone I can take out?"

"Yeah, not that kind, love, I had some memories come back."

"What were those?" he asked, leaning forward intently so his elbows were on his knees.

"Well, I remembered all of those times we kissed—and I remembered how, well, I remembered the day that I had my accident."

"Sam—"

"What I saw, what I remembered, it was enough for me to throw that potion out of the window," she admitted, not catching his eye.

"Couldn't that be dangerous for you? Any potions I know that people have taken can't be just, well, dropped, without side effects. Typically serious ones at that."

"That's just it," she said, looking at him finally, "I don't care anymore. There's life going on outside of this place, and with that potion, I'm even more confined and I'm done. I'm done dwelling on the past. I know who I am and where I came from and I can tell everyone their names or how many damned fingers they're holding up in front of my face so I'm done. I don't care what happened then, I really don't!

"Lily's parents are dead, there are dark wizards on the rise. I can't be working on trying to remember how—you—kissed me and what that did, and how I felt and…I need to be working on making new memories."

She finally stopped, feeling completely drained, emotionally and physically, and she looked at Sirius, who she was hoping beyond every hope she had that he would make sense of all of this. He just stared. The hoping and wishing and lust was gone from his face and there was complete—complete—what?

"What?" she demanded.

"It's just that you have never been so damn attractive," he said.

"Excuse me?"

Somewhere he stood up and walked towards her, grabbed her and kissed her. It was a different kind of embrace than any she had recalled during the night. It was soft and deep and she fell into him—almost. He pulled away just slightly, his mouth hovering just beyond hers.

"Do you think—you think you'd want this memory?" he asked, his voice deep. She couldn't stand being apart from him, and she kissed him in response. He seemed thrilled and dipped her backwards. She held on even as the blood rushed to her head, but she couldn't stop her mind from working. His question had sparked her mind: what kind of memories _did _she want?


	21. The Quidditch Cup

_Still don't own any characters that you recognise--except Samantha Tchaikovsky, you might start recognising her now…I hope…*long silence* (I know some of you are like "uh, Tchaikovsky?" Yeah, I'm onto you.)_

* * *

_Alright, here is a very long chapter that most of you may like. First off, I would like to submit that I really didn't want to sort through my story to see if I had already named some of the Slytherin players, OR had stolen their names from previous players. So sorry, but I made up new ones._

_Also, you may get to a certain part and wonder why James thinks it's so hot that Lily kisses the Quidditch Cup (oops, did I give something away? Oh, it isn't as if you didn't see it coming.) Well, I think guys like sports so much, that they think it's twice as hot when the girl they like (in James' case, Lily) is into the sport they like (in this case, Quidditch.) Have you ever had a hot guy talk to you because you were wearing the football jersey of the team he liked? Yeah, like that. Only cooler cuz it's the Marauders._

_Also, you may come to another particular scene. YES, okay? I ended with another kissing scene with Sam and Sirius (I know that some of you just scrolled down to the bottom and CHEATED! Wouldn't it be mean if I just lied to you? Oooh did I? Please don't look, it all should really be read in order.) So sue me. I love them. I love Sirius, actually, and Sam is like the girl that every girl who reads this wants to be. And so, I wrote another little snog session for them (more lies? You'll have to find out without CHEATING!) I'm sorry, it's like I have a disease, alright? _

_Alright, I wanted to get a few more things out. For now, I am NOT going to screw things up between Sirius and Sam. I promise. Please, everyone put down the pitchforks and torches and just relax. They are together for at least a month. How's that for a bad promise? What else? Oh yeah, this is the longest chapter I wrote, and it physically drained me, so I don't know how long it's going to be, so I hope you all enjoy this and leave me lots of long reviews, even if all you do is yell at me for having an unhealthy obsession with Sam/ Sirius (they're the only fun ones anyway. We all know what happens with Lily and James, [she says stubbornly])_

_Love Always,_

_Fae_

**The Quidditch Cup: Gryffindor vs. Slytherin**

"So you're leaving next Saturday for your house?" Sam asked, stabbing her broccoli that night at dinner.

"Yeah, right before Easter. I'll be there for two days and then I'll be back," Lily responded.

"Are you sure you don't want me to go with you?" James demanded gently, his arm around her waist as he stared at her worriedly.

"Yes, thank you," she assured him, smiling, "I would rather not have you meet my sister and brother-in-law under these circumstances."

"In other words, she doesn't want you to see her go all whoop ass on Petunia," Sam injected, leaning in. raising her arms in a karate stance.

"Evans? No way," said Sirius, grinning.

"You'd be surprised," Sam said, "You may call me Nutcracker, but Lily, she's pretty tough."

"If she doesn't kick your ass, Padfoot, I will," James promised, looking evenly at Sirius.

Lily smiled to herself. This was how her life had been for nearly an entire week. Tomorrow was seven days since she had found out her parents had died, also known as the day James had told her that he loved her. She often wondered if she would be damned in some afterlife for letting the latter occurrence overshadow the first, but she couldn't escape the feeling that her parents would have been wonderfully happy with James…and the fact that he loved her.

As it turned out, that was a rather eventful day on numerous levels. Not only had she made leaps and bounds in her relationship with James (though she often wondered where exactly they were going to go after having professed their love for each other), but she had decided to devote herself to Dumbledore's Order of the Phoenix, for it was in this way that Lily saw she had her best chance of avenging her parents.

But it wasn't just her parents that she would be fighting for, she had made sure of that before she had made the decision. She was fighting for the sister and brother-in-law that she did, upon which she did admittedly wish to open up a can of whoop-ass, she was fighting for James, the boy she knew now that she loved, and for everyone else whose lives were being affected by Lord Voldemort and his Death Eaters.

"Calm down, Prongsie, I'm not having a go at Evans," Sirius defended himself.

"Yeah, because you've never had 'a go' at anyone, isn't that right?" Sam asked, looking humored. Lily had noticed a definite change coming over Sam since that one fateful night. She was dwelling less on her accident and her past and most definitely looking towards the future, which was rather important seeing as she had also signed herself to the Order.

"That's completely right, Nutcracker," said Sirius, innocently, then his face changed, "Wait, what kind of go are you talking about? Because I've had a lot of—"

"Oh shut up," ordered Sam, flicking a piece of rice at him, "Dinner is hardly the time to talk about your _escapades_."

"I like calling them that. And I like how you made it plural. You must think highly of me, Tchaikovsky. "

"Has it ever occurred to you that that could also be a sign of thinking lowly of you?" Sam inquired.

"No. Absolutely not. But I still like that name," said Sirius thoughtfully, "Escapades makes it sound really…"

"Gay," finished James as they all stood to head back to the common room. Sirius punched his arm.

"I've always wondered why boys were so sensitive about men being gay…everyone for that matter, but no one really seems to care about girls who aren't straight," Sam said thoughtfully, and Lily nodded.

"That's because to guys, it really wouldn't matter if a girl was straight or not. She's hot either way," Sirius said, looking at her seriously.

"That doesn't make any sense," Lily interjected as James took her hand as they filed upstairs, "You have a chance with a straight girl, not so with a gay one."

James laughed as a group of first years in front of them turned to stare at them with wide eyes, having just overheard their conversations.

"Sorry," Lily said, looking at the smaller children fondly. They looked at her with alarm.

"Keep it moving," James ordered, and they ran ahead, still checking over their shoulders as if they were mad, "Now your logic makes sense, but you're not a male."

"Exactly," Sirius said, looking happy to have someone on his side to argue with him, "We don't care if we have a shot with you or not, you're still hot."

"You're telling me, Black, that if I had the hots for Narcissa Black, you would still find me hot?"

"That's assuming I found you attractive in the first place," Sirius said, his face completely straight. Sam's jaw dropped, but she closed it quickly in a pout, "But yeah, that would be hot. You don't, though, do you?" he asked, in all earnestness.

"Oh yes, I do," said Sam, putting on an alluring look as they approached the portrait hole, "there are many of my own _escapades_ that you, my inexperienced little friend, have never heard about."

Sirius stared at her, mouth slightly agape, as Sam had just called him inexperienced and little in the same sentence. It was most likely a first for him, and they all laughed.

"Calm yourself down," said Sam, dropping her lusty façade and rolling her eyes.

"I don't think you understand what you've just done to him," James told her as they all passed through the portrait hole and into the common room.

"Oh, but she does," Lily said, and Sam spared her a wink.

"Alright, I think we need to give Padfoot a chance to cool off," said James, looking sideways at Sirius, who couldn't keep his eyes off Sam. James took the chance to smack him in the back of his head. It seemed to do the trick, and Sirius blinked a few times, "But you, Nutcracker, need to get some sleep."

"What are you, my mother?" asked Sam, looking up alarmedly from the magazine she was unrolling, "I didn't finish my homework early so I could get some extra sleep."

"I'm your coach," James reminded her.

"Ooh…" Sam said, putting her magazine away anyway, "Fine. But only for the team, not because you told me to."

"Of course," said James, sitting down with Lily.

"You do everything of your own accord," Lily soothed Sam, who was looking thoroughly annoyed.

"I'll see you all tomorrow," Sam said bitterly, her face brightening suddenly as she skipped towards the stairs of the dormitories, "_I've_ to go to bed at my bedtime so I don't get in trouble," she crooned in a decidedly childish voice.

"Good night," Lily called. Sam stuck her head over the banister.

"Hey, do we have stuff for the victory party tomorrow?" she asked, looking sincerely at them, "Like, should we go get stuff tonight or…"

"Go to bed, Sam," Lily sighed.

"And don't start talking about winning before the game is over," James added, looking solemn.

"You're such a coach," Sam sighed, closing the dormitory door behind her.

"I think it's cute when you're in charge," Lily whispered in James' ear and before she saw him move, he turned and kissed her. She returned it as usual, but felt herself start to melt into him.

"Right, well, since I have to commentate tomorrow, I don't want to be low on sleep either. And I don't want to be sick," Sirius added loudly, standing and trekking up to his own dormitory.

"Good night, Black," Lily said politely, detaching herself from James for a small moment of decorum.

"Yeah yeah, good night," James said, steering Lily's face back towards his own. They sat for a moment longer, kissing, snogging. Lily felt James hand on her knee and she pulled away, knowing she had to stop before she did anything rash.

"Are you sure I shouldn't come with you, Lily? When you go back home, I mean?" James asked, placing his hand on her knee and keeping it there. It felt good and warm, "I mean, I'm going to have to meet your sister and brother-in-law anyway, right? And I don't want them doing anything to you," he added, nearly growling. She smiled at his concern, knowing it was mirrored by herself. It was a feeling beyond comfort.

"Thanks, love, I'll take care of myself."

"But you don't have to, you know," James said, "Now that you have me, I'm always here for you, whenever you need me."

"Thank you," she said, leaning her head against the hollow of his neck and chest.

"Say it," James said, his mouth on her hair.

"What?" she asked.

"That you know I'm here for you. Sometimes I worry," he admitted softly, and she couldn't think of another time that he had been so cute.

"I—" she twisted her head to kiss his neck, "Know—" she moved up towards his mouth, "you're—" his bottom lip, "there—" top lip, "for—" both, "me—" she kissed him hard, and pulled his tie so that he was even closer to her.

"I love you, Lily," James said, not taking his lips from hers. She really didn't feel like she needed to respond, but she had the deep, burning desire to do so.

"I love you too, James."

And that was the way that Lily and James fell asleep on the couch together, Lily wrapped in his arms, their faces never far from each other's.

* * *

Sam awoke early the next morning, feeling the customary butterflies that her stomach experienced before she undertook something that could be potentially embarrassing to herself. It was humorous to her that even after having her life threatened by Quidditch, that when she got on a broom, she didn't worry about repeating her accident, but rather whether or not she was going to embarrass herself.

She saw with surprise that Lily wasn't in her bed. She rarely awoke before Sam on game days, it just wasn't something she did. Sam shrugged off the feeling of something being out of place and dressed in her underclothes of her Quidditch robes. She balled the red robes up and put them under her arm to carry down with her, threw a grey sweater over herself and exited the room.

When her feet reached the floor of the common room, she was faced with the sight of Lily and James asleep on the couch together. It was adorable, but she couldn't help wondering if they had managed to stay fully clothed throughout the night. Seeing that Lily didn't look too out of place, she decided that nothing had happened.

Well now what? She wasn't going to wake Lily up, and James was asleep too, so she really didn't have anything to do. A stray idea somehow pushed itself to the forefront of her brain: she could go up and visit Sirius. Surely he was still in his dormitory and surely he wouldn't mind her stopping by. They had been more than congenial since the night he had kissed her, though not too much more. They hadn't kissed again, but between them was the undeniable feeling that they were somehow…dare she say it? Together.

She disregarded knocking, unable to keep the smirk of payback off her face, and entered the room.

"Morning," she said to Lupin, who was awake and moving about the room. She hadn't seen him for a while, and it was rather nice to see his kind face again. She knew that he and Jamie were still together, though on and off again, which was how she decided they were preparing for their inevitable breakup.

"Hey, Samantha," he said, looking up at her with tired eyes.

"You okay?" she asked.

"I'll be fine in a few days," he promised, "Good luck at the match today."

"Thank you," she said, sitting down on what she knew to be Lupin's bed, "But I think I actually get to walk down with you guys today. Special circumstances with the Cup…"

"Yeah," he said vaguely, and on the bed across from her, the large lump which was presumably Sirius, gave a great stir. She took a pillow off of Lupin's bed and threw it at Sirius, who sat up quickly. His eyes adjusted and stared at the source of his awakening.

"What the hell are you doing in here?" he demanded, getting out of bed and grabbing his button-up shirt. She saw with slight embarrassment, and maybe a little delight, ew—she squashed the thought out of her mind—that he was only in his boxers and socks.

"Lily's still asleep," she said, looking bored.

"James? You should be down practicing already, right?"

"James is asleep. With Lily," she added for slight effect. She got it, too. Sirius and Lupin's heads turned to stare at her.

"No way. Where?" Sirius asked.

"As if it matters. They're just downstairs," she said.

"And so you came up to see us? How lonely are you, Nutcracker?" Sirius asked her, pulling on his black school pants and tying his tie.

"Well it isn't as if I have anyone else to go see," she said matter-of-factly.

"What about Narcissa?" Lupin asked, "I heard you and her had…well…a history."

"Who told you that?" Sam asked, but it was a moot question. Lupin glanced at Sirius. Of course he was still thinking about their conversation from last night. It was so stupid that she had ever brought up "being with" Narcissa Black, the very thought of whom made her wretch, but she had wanted to see Sirius' reaction. It was seriously messed up.

"You know what? I have to go meet Jamie," Lupin said, exiting the room efficiently.

"Sorry," Sirius said, looking over at her. She imagined she was a glum sight in her bulky sweater and dejected face as she waited for Lily.

"You're fine."

"How fine?" he asked, smirking as he sat down next to her.

"Wouldn't you like to hear," she shook her head, pulling her knees up under her chin.

"I don't mean to pry, but you and my dear cousin were never really…"

"_No_," she said with emphasis, "I just said that to mess with you. I like boys," she added emphatically.

"I was kind of hoping," he said, his eyes laughing, "the way that you kiss boys wouldn't really lead them to believe that you _aren'_t fond of them."

"Thanks," she said, allowing herself to smile.

"And can I ask you something else?" he asked.

"Does that count?" she responded smartly.

"No."

"Fine."

"How fin—"

"Sirius, just ask."

"Are you really that experienced?"

"Oh my god," she moaned, falling back on the bed, "Let it go, man," she begged, turning her head to look at him, "I was just messing with you. None of what I said was true." She clarified, a bit resentfully.

"I figured," he said, his confidence back, "When you called me little, that gave it away," he grinned as she slapped his arm.

"You are such a tease," she said, looking up at the canopy of the bed.

"And what do you call yourself?" he asked, staring at her openly, "Coming in here when I am not dressed…."

"Oh, are you pretty sensitive about your privacy?" she inquired, her mouth smiling.

"…Lying back on the bed like you do…"

"Now that's just a problem with _you_ if you think that this is my way of _teasing_ you," she said.

"Do you have a better way?" he inquired, and she sat up, took a deep breath, then put on her flirting face.

"Sirius?" she asked, drawing out his name and tracing her finger on his chest.

"Yeah?" he asked, trying to look nonchalant, but she heard his voice catch.

"You are so…fine…" she said heavily, moving her body so that it was nearly on top of his, but still on the bed, "And I'll bet…," she ran her hand down his chest, stopped then moved back up, "that you are even more fine…"

"Would you stop it?" he asked, "Alright I get it…"

"Yeah, but I kind of like it…" she said, letting her mouth hang open. She saw him start to lean in to her.

"Do you really?" he asked, "Cuz you can keep—"

"Sucker," she said, dropping her act and standing up, "I'll bet that Lily's back up by now." She added, her voice completely normal, all hint of desire completely gone.

"That is exactly what I mean," Sirius said, looking both discomfited and upset.

"What do you mean, that's what you mean?" she demanded, "I just showed you that I never tease you. Name another time I've done that," she demanded. He stared at her, "Exactly." She grabbed her Quidditch robes.

"What's going on between us?" Sirius' voice stopped her as she reached for the door. She turned around and looked at him, leaning back on the wood.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"I kiss you, we flirt, you kiss me, we fight, we snog, we flirt. What's going on?"

"I don't know," she said a bit defensively, "What do you want to be going on?"

"I don't know," he repeated, standing up and looking at her, shoving his hands in his pockets, "I want us to be friends, I guess."

"Alright then, we can try that. I think we may have to cut out the snogging, though. Friends don't snog, they just fight and flirt."

"Unless they're friends with benefits," he said, raising his eyebrows.

"And I'm supposed to accept you as a chum," she said sardonically, shaking her head.

"Sorry. You know, I wanted to give this a try before, and I sent you that note, which you just ignored, by the way…"

"What note?" she demanded. Was he mental?

"I sent you that note the night after you got so upset when you were hopped up on Codeinogg? And I said that I would be there for you, and that I would have taken that Bludger for you any day."

She stared. How sweet was he being right now? He ran his hand behind his neck, looking at her expectantly.

"Sirius, I never got a note like that…"

"I sent it," he exclaimed, looking taken aback.

"I believe you," she said in a placating manner, "I just never got it."

"Well, I sent it," he said again.

"Thank you," she said, looking up at him with a bit more respect than she had ever felt before. She crossed the room and hugged him tightly. It was a stretch, seeing as he was so much taller than she, but it felt wonderful, and he hugged her back, his arms around her waist.

"Are friends allowed to do this?" he asked, his voice in her ear. She found herself wishing very badly that she had never offered to be friends….just friends.

"Yeah," she said quietly, pulling away, "And I think we're still allowed to kiss, just not, you know, snog or anything."

"Oh, alright," he smirked, looking as though he knew she was making up any rules she wanted, "C'mon, we need to get down to the pitch so you can start warming up."

"Okay," she agreed, opening the door. He took it from her and held it.

"After you," he said.

* * *

James woke up to two very different feelings. One was immense elation at seeing Lily's beautiful face upon waking, the other was extreme annoyance at what had awakened him. Sirius stood over them, Sam, though less annoying, was near the fire.

"Oi, lovers!" Sirius half-yelled, half-whispered. Lily groaned and nestled back into James. He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her hair, "Jesus Christ, get up! You've a game you have to go captain and win!" Sirius reminded them. Lily opened her eyes and looked at Sirius and Sam, then at James. She smiled.

"Good morning," she said, kissing him carefully. Then, suddenly, she sat up, "Oh God, were we down here the whole night?" she asked, looking around the common room. James sat up too, a bit more lazily, not really caring where they had slept or for how long. As long as he was with Lily.

"Yeah," James said, hoping to calm her, she just looked more frazzled and stood up, completely dressed in her school robes. James watched her body move, and couldn't escape that wanting to have those robes elsewhere.

"Can't you just see them on their honeymoon?" Sam asked, looking delighted as Lily and James turned a disdainful eye to her. Sirius, catching on, went to stand next to her. Sam put on a high voice, which she obviously thought embodied Lily's. It did not, "Oh Jesus, James, did we sleep together…all night?"

"I think we did, Lily," Sirius said in a hearty voice far from his—or James'—own.

"Oh bugger," Sam-Lily said looking scared.

"I know," Sirius-James shook his head, disappointedly, "Even though we're married properly now…"

"Oh put a sock in it," said Lily, putting on her own socks as she started towards the Girl's dormitory. Sirius and Sam laughed, but let it drop. James, for one, really didn't see what the big problem was. But if Lily was unhappy then there was obviously something he had to fix, "I'm going to go change," she added, taking the stairs two at a time. James watched her until the last possible second.

"Really?" he asked, looking at Sirius.

"Sorry, mate," Sirius said, holding his hands up.

"I let you two sleep," Sam added, "But I knew Lily was going to react like that, so I thought it would be better if _we_ woke you up, rather than someone else."

"Fine," said James, not really feeling as if she had done whatever favor for them that she was posing, "We have to get down to the field, anyway," he said.

"That's what I told you," Sirius looked at him sadly. James punched him.

"I'm going to change, then I'll be right back down," he said, looking once more at the spot he had last seen Lily. He changed quickly into his full Quidditch robes and returned downstairs to the common room. Sam, Sirius and Lily were already there.

"We have an hour," Sam said to him, looking about as nervous as he felt. He nodded.

"I'll bet everyone else is down at the pitch," he said as they proceeded out the door. He caught Lily's hand in his own as they continued down the hall. They stopped shortly at the Great Hall and grabbed a few rolls and slices of bacon, but chose to enjoy them while walking out on the grounds. The rest of the school was awake and moving about, preparing themselves to watch the Quidditch House Cup, otherwise known as the best event at Hogwarts.

James examined the weather as they stepped outside. It was decidedly chilly, but the sun was out and the frost was melting quickly into dew that would evaporate before the game. Playing in the wet was worse than the cold. It made the game balls especially difficult to retain possession of.

"Little bit of wind," he said aloud, "But not enough to bother anyone," he added.

"The weather," said Sirius dramatically, "what a great topic."

"Shut up," said James, who found himself saying that quite frequently to a seemingly-empowered Sirius. He secretly suspected that it had something to do with Sam, but the pair had maintained their typical flirting manner; James didn't see anything too different.

"Are you nervous?" Lily asked of both Sam and James. Sam nodded immediately, "James?" Lily turned her attention to him.

"A little," he shrugged, "I think we can take them."

"I'll bet you guys can, too," replied Lily.

"I'll be backing you guys up from the booth," Sirius added, "I've spent the better part of my classes coming up with some inventive names for the Slytherins."

"I'll bet you have," Sam said, non-believing as they approached the pitch. James caught a sight of the familiar red and gold robes floating above the field already.

"We should get warmed up," James said, and Sam nodded, "I'll see you in a bit," James turned to Lily and kissed her fondly, squeezed her hand once, then headed out to the field with Sam close behind, "You ready for this, Nutcracker?" James asked, looking sideways at Sam, whose face was set.

"Yeah, you?" she asked. He nodded.

"We need you, today, so…"

"So don't get hit in the head by another Bludger?" she supposed, then laughed, "I'll do my best."

"Good," he said, grabbing his broom as Veronica and the rest of the team landed beside them, "Alright everyone, we aren't going to spend much time warming up because I think we're as warm as we're going to get. Everyone take a few spins around the field, stretch, get a drink, do what you need to. We meet in the lockers in thrity minutes, alright?"

Everyone nodded and went off in their different directions. Sam, Jamie and Veronica disappeared on the other side of the pitch, talking about whatever brilliant plan they had developed, Cooper and Robinson took a few swings with their bats, stretched their arms, Zimmerman looked as if he were having a hard time not vomiting.

Admittedly, James was having the same feeling. This was it. This was his last shot before he left. This was….this was an excellent pep talk, was what it was, and with that he jumped on his broom, letting the incredible feeling of flying take away his nerves, as he saved his thinking for his team in the locker room.

He came down half an hour later and joined his team in the locker room. Above them, the entire school was filling in. He snuck a look out and saw that the Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs had borrowed from their Gryffindor friends, and also turned out in red and gold. Only a quarter of the stadium was in green.

"Alright everyone," James turned his attention to the six other people with him. Veronica was looking pissed, which was also known as her normal game face, Jamie was chewing her nails, Sam was tapping her fingers on her knees to a song she only knew, Cooper looked green, Robinson looked white, Zimmerman just looked terrified, "Well, here we are. This is our last game. For a lot of us, it might be out last game ever. For that reason alone, it's important to go out there and fight and win. Because that's what we do. But you can't just go out there fighting for your team. That's a good start, but you need to find something inside of you that you're fighting for. You have to win for yourself. Good?"

Everyone nodded numbly, Sam mumbled some affirmative phrase.

"Alright then," said James, "There's no formal announcement today. We just all go out and wait, right? Let's go."

They all stood and filed out, James first, his team behind. The entire school sat above them, restless and waiting, the Slytherins sat on the other side of the pitch, looking moody.

"James!"

He turned to see Lily, Remus and Sirius all hanging back by the locker rooms.

"Hey," he said, relieved to see her again before they started.

"Good luck," she stared at him, then ran forward and kissed him. He held her close and kissed her back, then set her back on the ground.

"Good luck, man," Sirius said, shaking James hand and giving him a half-hug.

"Thanks."

"Good luck, Sam," Lily said, hugging Sam and kissing her cheek.

"Thanks,"

"And Jamie," said Lily, waving at Jamie, who was hugging Lupin.

"Er…" Sirius looked at Sam, who was staring at the ground, "Well…good luck then, Tchaikovsky." He reached out and pulled her into him for a large and very awkward hug. Sam returned it and looked relieved that nothing else had happened.

"Thanks," she said, when he released her.

"Mr. Black!" McGonagall was staring at them all suspiciously from the booth.

"See ya," Sirius said, looking back at Sam again, who was biting her lip so hard that James saw blood start to pool. He sprinted up the stairs to the booth and took his place near the window.

"Bye," Lily said, quickly moving up into the stands before James could act on the urge he had to run away with her.

"Oi, Captain!" Veronica called and James and Sam moved quickly out onto the field in their positions.

"Welcome everyone, to the Quidditch….House….Cup!!!" Sirius boomed from the booth and the school erupted in cheers so loud that James swore his ear may have begun to bleed. But the excitement was enough to chase away his nerves, and he found himself eager to get up and play, "Today I bring you Gryffindor!" Huge cheering and surprisingly large booing, "And Slytherin!" Slight cheering, but huge booing that wasn't surprising at all, "If everyone's ready then…."

The school cheered one more time as Madame Hooch took the field. James saw her look concernedly at Sam, then to the captains.

"Shake hands," she ordered, and James stepped up to shake the large, bone-crushing mass of flesh which was the hand of Kent Uwate. Both men grimaced at each other as the other tried to squeeze the opposite hand off, "Release," Madame Hooch added, and both did so, "Players on your brooms."

Her whistle blew and James erupted into the sky, the wind in his ears, the crowd deafening any other sound…but then he heard Sirius' commentary above it all.

"Craig takes the first possession for Slytherin after a cheap-shot, cowardly beating on Yates to have her release, down the field, no passing, not a real team player, tries to take a shot on his own, but has it taken from him by Tchaikovsky, who has returned from an earlier injury. It's Tchaikovsky to Zimmerman, strange but not unheard of, the Keeper tosses it out to Moore. Moore to Yates, Yates back to Moore. Moore to Tchaikovsky, Tchaikovsky down the field to Yates, back, to Moore, shoot and saved by Uwate. Nice shot by Moore, much closer than Craig's anyway, I think the Slytherins now see how playing as a team is actually beneficial."

The game continued in a clawing manner, fighting for every possession, every pass, for no matter how much they hated the Slytherins, those players in green and silver were just as talented and, because they weren't afraid to break the rules, they were beating them. Twelve possessions later, McGinty had scored ten unanswered points for the Slytherins.

"Zimmerman passes it out to Moore. Moore down the field, dodges the beater Inning, down the field, loops around Craig, passes to Tchaikovsky, shoots, Tchaikovsky scores the first points for Gryffindor. Ten-ten, and this game is tight."

Sam sped back down the field amidst cheers from the crowd, a large, but fleeting grin on her face.

"McGinty takes it out. Oh, they've decided to pass, McGinty to Craig, back to Olds, Olds down the field—stopped by Yates! Yates takes it back towards the Slytherin goals—ugh!"

Paul Min, Slytherins beater in the same year as Jamie, had taken it upon himself to stop her—with his own bat. He had smashed into her arm, and she had dropped the Quaffle.

"_Yeah_ that's a foul!!" Shouted Sirius above the booing crowd, "Since he can't hit the actual Bludger, Min decides to hit the player instead…you stupid git. Sorry, Professor, I mean, Min's nontraditional approach to beating earns him a debatable foul. Yeah, is that better? Quaffle taken downfield by Olds. Olds to Craig, who loops Moore, passes to McGinty, McGinty tries something fancy at the end, shot saved by Zimmerman! Nice little move there by Jonathan Zimmerman to save that one, and it's back out again!"

James tried his best to keep tabs on the game while keeping his eyes sharp for the Snitch. Sirius' colorful, if not completely biased, approach to commentating was doing a fair job of keeping him informed while he circled the field systematically.

Finally, it was McGinty that scored again, earning himself a round of curse words from the stand, much to the delight of Sirius, who couldn't fairly swear while commentating. The next possession, however, Veronica took it down the field with Jamie and Sam, and, in a very complex run, scored easily.

"Ha! Uwate looks like he's played for about a minute with that last run from the Gryffindor Chasers. Beautiful sequence there, just wonderful. Twenty-twenty, and this one is going to be won by the snitch," Sirius added, and James felt hundreds of eyes turn his way. Across the pitch he saw Rupert Wellings, a blonde fifth year, looking over the field for the same Snitch that he was looking for.

"Uwate back out to McGinty, dodges the last scorer, Moore, passes to—oh! Intercepted by Tchaikovsky. Tchaikovsky takes it back up the field and it's just her and Uwate. Curve ball and Tchaikovsky scores! Thirty-twenty, Gryffindor pulls ahead—oh. Tight dodge there as Inning smacks a Bludger at the back of Tchaikovsky's head. She doesn't look to worried though, seen that one too many times, eh?"

Sam spared Sirius a look, at which he laughed.

"That's right, Inning, if you can't beat the opposition, killing them is second best," Sirius began, and Inning flashed the box a very nasty sign, "Oh, temperamental. Was that to me? Or the headmaster, there Inning?" Sirius inquired smartly. But James had seen enough. Up at the zenith of the stadium was the unmistakable glint of the golden snitch. It zoomed off, and James gave chase, "Potter's seen something, the snitch! The snitch has been spotted, and Min's on Potter's tail. This is it! Who has it?" Sirius rambled excitedly as James chased after the little golden ball that had been his nemesis for so many years. He just had to catch it one more time.

Behind the tiny flurry of wings, James looped through the goalposts, skimmed the crowd, back up into the air. It was at the point that the snitch pulled a very tight loop that he wondered if it had been bewitched to be extraordinarily quick just for the entertainment of the game, but it hardly mattered. It was right there. He went into a spectacular dive and stretched his arm out—

His fingers closed around the tiny, warm ball just as he made contact with the ground. He did three very neat tumbles and landed on his feet, his hand extended, the Golden Snitch safely in his grasp.

The stands exploded in a mammoth shout as the Quidditch House Cup was won by Gryffindor house. James felt his face split into a grin as his team landed around him, smacking his back, cheering, all infected by what felt like a very good disease.

"That's it!" Sirius shouted above the crowd, "Despite the worst efforts of the beloved Slytherin team, the GRYFFINDOR'S come away with the cup!!!"

It was real. It was more than real, it was happening. James saw through the throng of his teammates to view Professor Dumbledore with McGonagall in tow, carrying the cup towards them. Dumbledore handed it to McGonagall, who looked thoroughly overwhelmed.

"This is for you," she said, holding the cup aloft with surprising ease, "Mr. Potter, Misses Tchaikovsky and Moore, you three, before you leave this school, you have given me a very great honor. Your Quidditch Cup," she handed it to James, who took it in both hands and kissed the gilded side panel then held it up.

"Let it go," demanded Veronica, looking completely overcome with joy, and James saw with slight alarm that she was crying. He handed it to her, and she too kissed the spot where the name GRYFFINDOR was magically engraved. She handed it to Sam who followed suit and kissed the side, passed it on down the line until finally Zimmerman was left with the cup, holding it up in the air, shouting a string of words so overgrown with his brogue that no one could really tell if they were compliments or exclamations or swears, but it didn't matter.

James turned around and saw Lily, beautiful Lily, running at him, Sirius and Lupin in tow. James caught her and twirled her around.

"You did it!" she shouted, "You caught it, you were brilliant," she said exultantly and kissed him so hard that his own breath was knocked out of him.

"Miss Evans, I must ask you not to suffocate my seeker," McGonagall said primly over the crowd and Lily broke away, very red.

"Sorry, Professor," she said, sounding as though she were a small child who had just been caught sneaking some type of candy she wasn't allowed. James threaded his arm tightly around her waist and kept her next to him.

"You wanna see the cup?" he asked her, taking it from Zimmerman who was still in possession of it.

"Oh, okay," Lily said, looking flustered as James handed her the trophy, "You have to kiss it," he told her, "That's good luck."

"Alright," Lily said, looking unsure, which was to say, absolutely adorable as she kissed the cup, and James was fairly sure she had never been more beautiful to him in his life.

"My turn, Evans," Sirius said, taking the cup for himself and kissing it heartily, "We did it Prongsie!" he said, looking thrilled as he grabbed Sam's arm. She turned and smiled at him, stuck out her hand and Sirius shook it, laughing, in an interaction that James really didn't understand. Sirius grabbed her arm and pulled her into him for another large hug, and James saw his hand resting precariously right above Sam's ass. Sirius winked at James, who couldn't help smiling.

"We did," said James, sweeping Lily into another embrace.

* * *

"Didn't I tell you we'd be needing these?" Sam asked, grinning as she and Sirius produced a huge tub of Butterbeers.

"So you did," James said, grabbing one and handing it to Lily before taking one for himself, "So you did, Nutcracker."

It was seven o'clock and right after dinner, and the Victory Party was just getting underway. Every Gryffindor had found a place in the common room, some on the stairs, some in the furthest corners, but they were all here, all grinning. In the centre of the room, which was more around the roaring fire, the team, higher classmen and their friends, the age decreasing as the circle of firelight moved out. The entire room was illuminated with lamps turned up to full shining power so that it was actually very bright.

Everyone had changed out of their robes and were in outfits only slightly less impressive than those they wore to the Slug Club meets. Sam had on jeans and a flowy, lacy gold top with long, lacy sleeves and shiny buttons up the front, which were unbuttoned to show her golden camisole. Lily had chosen gold as well, in the form of a tight gold dress over black leggings. Everyone else had red or gold on, Sirius was looking absolutely crush-worthy (hardly friend-worthy) in a red button- up like most of the boys were wearing ,but something about _how _he was wearing it made Sam feel like she needed another butterbeer.

"Right, EVERYONE!!" James stood up on a chair, the Cup in his hands to attract attention, "Right, little ones to bed at eight. No complaining! The head boy and girl have spoken!" he added, and Lily buried her face in her hands. Sam saw she was laughing, "That said, you lot may have the cup first!" he tossed the trophy into the group of smallest children, who caught it in a knot of hands, all looking at James as if he may have been the god they heard about in church.

"That's terrible," Lily chided him as he sat back down.

"What's terrible is that you aren't sitting with me," James said, pulling her on top of him, "Much better," he said greedily as Lily landed on him. She spluttered and pushed her hair out of her eyes.

"Oh is it?"

"It is," James responded, kissing her softly. Sam smiled and grabbed a butterbeer and stood on one of the arms of the chair.

"Oi!" she shouted. Some people in the proximity heard her and looked up. Everyone continued talking.

"Shut it gits!" Sirius bellowed, "Tchaikovsky has something to say!" Silence ensued, and he looked calmly up at Sam, "Go ahead," he added, looking at her.

"Right, well, a toast!" she said, raising her bottle, and there was an audible scramble to grab bottles and glasses, "To the noblest house of Godric Gryffindor! Quidditch victors!"

"Here here!" Sirius said, taking a swig and grabbing her waist. She stumbled against him as she temporarily lost her balance. She regained it laughing.

"Cheers!" she shouted and everyone echoed it. Bottled clanged and then there was an intermittent silence in which everyone took a swig of the toasted drink, "I can't believe we really won it," she said, freeing herself from Sirius' arms and sitting down to face her friends.

"You'd best start," said Sirius, looking at her and nodding, "It happened."

"Yeah," said James, still looking dazed.

"You know, Sam, I don't mean to take credit for anything, but I was the one who suggested you try out for the team," Sirius said, "Remember?"

"That's a bit of a stretch," commented Sam, surveying him safely over her bottle, "You may have mentioned it."

"I can get no credit with you," Sirius complained looking to James for help, "Did I or did I not suggest she try out?"

"You did," James nodded.

"True," Lily echoed.

"Fine. You suggested it. So?"

"So I think I get something in thanks," said Sirius, eyes wide but there was a mischievous glint in them.

"Thanks," she said carefully.

"Alright now, legitimate thanks, not any of this bitter 'thanks'," he mimicked her voice.

"Kiss," suggested Lily, and Sam looked at her wide-eyed. She hadn't told Lily about snogging Sirius in the common room the night she had found out that Mr. and Mrs. Evans had died, but she had never thought Lily would suggest something like this.

"Yeah," encouraged James, "That's really the only way to say thank you."

"How about I say _spasibo_," Sam offered, "and you say _dobro pazhalovat."_

"I say _what?"_ Sirius demanded, looking worried.

"Dobro Paz-halo- vat."

"Oh, that's much easier than just kissing him. Nutcracker?" James asked, "Look at him."

Sam did so. He had on some sort of stupid face that she supposed he was under the impression made him look accessible or sad or something. Before she could decide against it, she leaned in quickly and kissed him easily on the mouth.

"Thank you," she said, her face close to his as cheers went up from anyone who had witnessed the episode.

"You're welcome," Sirius told her, and she felt his hand travel up her torso to her neck, as if he were going to pull her in again.

"For being such a good friend," she added in a voice she was positive only he could hear. His eyes registered what she meant and he let go of her so that they were sitting upright and rather alone. She was left with the thought that she really, really hated this new 'friend' business.

"So dobro pazhalovat?" Sirius repeated, looking at her sideways.

"Yup," Sam responded, looking down at the carpet, which suddenly seemed inescapably interesting.

"So that means I know three Russian words," Sirius said with only a hint of bragging in his tone, "Otlichna, precrastna, and dobro pazhalovat."

"You can count the last one as a phrase," Sam said, sneaking a glance at him.

"You hear that, Prongsie? Two words and a phrase!" Sirius said happily.

"Yeah, you're all ready to go back to the homeland," James said sarcastically as he played with Lily's hair.

"You're right," said Sirius, dropping his joy to look very business-like, "What else can you teach me?"

"What else do you want to know?" Sam asked, feeling that it was safe to look up now.

"Um, how do you say 'girl?'"

Sam rolled her eyes, "Devushka."

"Alright. Devushka. How about 'how you doing'?" he asked, adding the head not for effect.

"Um, let's see…" she debated with herself while she translated mentally, "kak vy deleate."

"Alright so—oh! And hello, I guess you need."

"Privet." She answered, looking amused.

"Alright so. Privet Devushka. Kak vy…?" he looked over at her.

"Deleate."

"Privet Devushka. Kak vy deleate." Sirius repeated, with a terrible accent.

"Yeah, that'll do," Sam took a swig of butterbeer so he wouldn't see her cringe and laugh.

"Hold this conversation," ordered James, standing up, "All fourth years and younger, to bed!" he announced, all of the third and fourth years turned to glare at James. But he was their hero after all, and they stalked off to their dormitories, some of them taking the party with them in the form of iced butterbeer.

"There we are," James said as the room was considerably cleared out. Most fifth years went up to their dormitories as well, seeing no real want to remain with the sixth and seventh years. Now only a dozen people remained in the room, many sixth year couples including Jamie and Remus, sneaked out into the halls for some privacy and the four of them were left alone near the fire.

"_Accio,"_ James added, and the cup that lay abandoned on the floor flew towards him. He caught it in midair and set it next to them, looking at it fondly, "Go ahead, I was enjoying seeing Sirius get schooled in Russian."

"I was not being schooled," said Sirius, "I could pick up some Russian girls, couldn't I, Sam? My friend?" he added looking at her harmlessly and she narrowed her eyes in his direction.

"Of course you could," she said.

"See."

"I see Nutcracker looking pretty ticked at you right now," said James, "If that's what I'm supposed to be seeing."

"And, I'm sorry Sirius, but I've been to Sam's house and your Russian is strashno." Lily said and Sam turned a brilliant smile and hi-fived her.

"Hey now, what does that mean?" Sirius implored, "It sure didn't sound like otlichna."

"That's because strashno is terrible, brain child," said Sam, more than pretty ticked. It was Sirius, after all, who had come up with this ridiculous friend idea. She had agreed to it, but still…

"Ah, well," Sirius looked rather disappointed.

"Yes, well done, 'brain child'," James looked amusedly between them. Sam saw Lily shake her head as if she and Sirius were two irritable children, which, sometimes, they may appear to be.

"Let's hear yours," Sirius challenged.

"Yeah, I'll stick to English, thanks," James said smartly, "You'd do well to take that example," he said, standing up and patting Sirius on the shoulder. Then James reached down and took Lily's hand, "Now if it's okay with you, we're going to take the dormitory for a while," James said, raising his eyebrows as he pulled Lily behind him up to the boy's dormitory.

"Yeah, enjoy the celebration," called Sirius behind them. James turned around long enough to give them both a roguish wink, then closed the door behind them.

"I'm not really that bad, am I?" Sirius asked, sitting next to her.

"Well, you weren't wonderful," she admitted.

"Sorry."

"You don't have to speak Russian."

"Are you going to marry some Russian guy, Tchaikovsky?" he asked, looking at her.

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me, _buddy_," Sirius added the last part.

"You're speaking like a stupid git, you are," said Sam, pushing him in the shoulder.

"Of course," Sirius threw his hands in the air, "I can do no right, can I?"

"It wouldn't appear so," said Sam, her mouth twitching up into a smile, "_pal._"

"Oh, now we're pals, are we?"

Sam threw her own hands in the air, "_Yes._ We've been friends, pals I mean, since this morning, love, when you made it so _apparent_ that you wanted us to be friends."

They sat for a moment in the quiet, both staring at the fire that was continually dancing.

"This isn't working out, huh?"

"Friends? Nah, I don't think we're meant to be friends."

"Yeah, I wasn't really seeing it either. We couldn't even last twenty-four hours." Sirius said.

"What was your biggest hint, Sherlock?" Sam asked.

"Well, when you kissed me to say thank you?"

"Yeah," she responded carefully.

"I never really got to say you're welcome like I wanted," Sirius said, as though he were admitting to a horrendous sin.

"Oh?" she looked at him, surprised, "And why was that?"

"Because we are, were, friends."

"I'm not sure I follow," she said.

"Well, I wanted to do something _different_ to say you're welcome. I don't know what you do in Russia, but the way _I _was raised…"

"Well, we aren't friends anymore, so go ahead," she said, spreading her arms out for a vulnerable look, "Lay it on me."

Sirius winced.

"Oh my god, just _tell_ me," Sam begged, leaning forward.

"It isn't really something you _tell_," Sirius seemed uncharacteristically nervous, beating around the bush, "More of something you do…"

"Just do me—" she said without thinking. She winced now, "You set that up, didn't you?" she asked, surveying him. He broke his nervous charade and grinned.

"Yeah, I did. Pretty, good, wasn't it?"

"Yeah, yeah, hilarious. Hey, well, I'm pretty tired, so I'm going to hit the sack, 'k?"

"Alright. Sure you don't want me to 'do yo—' no, never mind," he decided as she turned to look at him.

"Yeah, good call."

" Nice playing today," he added, grabbing her hand. She froze and looked down at their intertwined hands. She didn't want to let go.

"Thank you. I have to admit that your commentary made my season a lot better, so thanks."

"How do we show thanks?" Sirius inquired, looking up at her. Sam sighed heavily, placed her hands on the arm of the couch, leaned over and kissed him again. It was a small kiss, just like the last one, but the sparks she felt fly were unable to be ignored.

"You're welcome," he said.

"How do you show that I really am welcome?" Sam asked, tipping her head to the side. He grabbed her arms, she lost her balance and tipped over the side of the couch so that she was on top of him. He took her face with his hands and kissed her with what she thoroughly expected to be all of his persuasion, which was quite a bit. Doing her best to ignore the thoughts that were screaming at her to do otherwise, she put her hands against his chest and pushed him away.

"I can't do this every week," she said, "kiss you, and feel the way that I do and wait for you to ask me out, ask me anything, and have you make some sort of…of _comment_ instead, and then have you kiss me again."

"What do you want?" he asked her.

"I—I don't want you to, to not kiss me if you don't really feel anything—"

He cut her off mid-sentence with a particularly snoggish kiss. She pushed him away.

"Sirius, I'm—"

"What, serious?" he asked, a smile playing on his mouth though his eyes seemed almost sad.

"Yes," she insisted.

"Samantha Tchaikovsky," he said, looking up at her with what were absolutely the most beautiful and sincere eyes she had ever had the good fortune of seeing, "I have thought you were so beautiful for so long. And I also thought that you were sort of unreachable, like something I could never really have. Maybe that was because you were so pretty or so smart or so absolutely, unbelievably incredible, but that's what it was. And now I've seen and heard that you'd have me, so I really am trying everything I can to get you to be mine. But right now, you're still that untouchable girl."

"All I really wanted you to do was ask me out," Sam's voice was small after his modest speech. She had the distinct feeling that this wasn't the kind of conversation you should have whilst laying on top of the boy with whom you were conversing. Maybe another boy, but not the same one.

"I guess I really didn't think that I needed to," he said simply, "but if you want me to, then Sam, will you please go out with me sometime?"

"Where?" she asked in a small voice, "I'm busy next weekend."

"Jesus Christ, woman," Sirius said in a completely different voice. It was unmistakably hurt.

"No, listen," Sam pushed him back down so that they were still in the same position, "I would love to go out with you sometime."

They were quiet for a moment, both staring at each other. Sam didn't blink, thinking that that course of action was probably safest.

"Now can I kiss you?" he demanded, but didn't wait for an answer. Her mouth was on his, his hands on her back, gluing her to him, at least for now, his tongue pressing at her lips. Her hands worked their way to his shirt and unbuttoned the first, second, third, fourth…she lost count, but his shirt was off, her hands were on his chest, roaming over the muscles that had caused her so much distraction.

She felt his hands start to undo the buttons of her shirt. It was only fair, wasn't it? His shirt was off now, thanks to her own hand. And she still had her camisole, and beneath that her bra…she sat up and pulled the shirt and camisole off in a surprisingly fluid motion. Sirius looked up at her as though she were something completely earth real that he had thought he would never have the chance to see.

"Precrastna," he said, grinning, in a voice that was completely devoid of terrible accent or mocking inflection, and she bent over to kiss him again. And again.


	22. Lilies and Petunias

_Still don't own any characters that you recognise--except Samantha Tchaikovsky, you might start recognising her now…I hope…*long silence* (I know some of you are like "uh, Tchaikovsky?" Yeah, I'm onto you.)_

* * *

_Alright, here is a very long chapter that most of you may like. First off, I would like to submit that I really didn't want to sort through my story to see if I had already named some of the Slytherin players, OR had stolen their names from previous players. So sorry, but I made up new ones._

_Right, well, it's been a while, hasn't it? That last chapter really exhausted me. Lame, I know, but true so, whatever. The truth is lame. _

_This is a pretty short chapter but it had to be done. Little bit intercalorie type where we just get some stuff out of the way. The next one should be up pretty soon. I promise_

_Anyway, I hope you all are doing well! _

_Love Always,_

_Fae_

**Lilies and Petunias**

Lily threw her jeans and two tee shirts and a pair of pajamas into her bag. That was all she would need for her one-day visit to see her parents' grave. The dress she was planning to wear was still at the house—the house was yet another thing she was going to discuss with her sister. Who would get the house? Her parents' will…

Lily sighed heavily and fell back on her bed. There was just too much.

"Lily, you're going to make me cry," a voice promised her. She looked up to see Sam standing in the doorway, "Let James go with you."

"I don't need anyone…." She trailed off. Maybe she did need someone to be with her. Someone she knew she could count on, someone she could talk to when Petunia or Vernon said something completely unintelligent, something completely inappropriate, insulting even to her or her parents…

"Yeah, you do," Sam insisted, sitting and resting her hand on Lily's arm, "I'd offer, but I know you need James with you," she sighed, "I wish I could be there to see Petunia's face when she sees James." Sam laughed softly and Lily let out a few bursts of laughter which were actually all of her stress coming out in short breaths. She turned her head to look at Sam.

"I know you'd come," she said, taking Sam's hand and holding it.

"I'm going to this summer. No matter what I—I need to say good bye to them," she said softly, "You know I liked your mum and dad…" she trailed off, looking guilty for talking about the late Evanses, as though she felt she needed Lily's permission to talk about them.

"I know you will Sam, they loved you, you know."

"Ugh. I didn't want to talk about it anymore!" Sam exclaimed, clapping her hand over her face, "Sorry."

"Don't worry about it," Lily tried to laugh, but it sounded like a strangled cry. Sam looked over at her worriedly, "You're right. I'm going to go find James," Lily allowed, standing up and squeezing Sam's hand, "Thanks," she said, smiling. Sam returned the gesture before Lily left the dormitory.

She descended the stairs and found James in the common room, finishing their last essay before exam reviews began the following week. Sirius and Remus were also in the room, all surrounded the centre table. They were the last real remaining Marauders. Peter hadn't been around for months. He said he had made new friends.

"Hey," he said, looking up at her with a smile.

"Hi," she said, sitting down next to him. He returned to his work, completely comfortable with her around. She shifted and put her hands on her knees, finally opening her mouth to talk, "Will you come with me to my house?" she asked finally without looking at him.

"Sure," he said, looking at her honestly.

"If you need to stay that's alright too, because I can go by myself…"

"Lily, I'd love to come with you. Thanks for finally asking," James said, putting his hand over hers. She smiled gratefully at him, eternally happy that he understood what she was getting at.

"Well, I'm leaving in an hour so you might want to go pack…"

"I already did," James said.

"What?" Lily demanded, "How'd you know?"

"Sam told me you wanted me to go. And she told me to pack so I wouldn't hold you up," James said, finishing the sentence on the page and rolling up the parchment.

"Of course," Lily muttered, looking up at the dormitory where Sam was leaning over the banister of the stairs, looking thoroughly entertained.

"So whenever you need to go, I'm ready," James told her, wrapping his arm around her.

"Alright," she said hesitantly. She had really hoped that somewhere, James would have an excuse not to go with her, refuse in some way. But Sam had known that and she had stopped it. Not that James would have ever rejected her inquiry.

She relaxed and leaned her head against his shoulder, "Thank you."

"You're welcome," James said as Sam came down the stairs.

"There you go," she said, only slightly smartly, sitting down on Sirius' lap. Lily was really never sure of the exact facts—Sam had never been very explicit on the details—but somehow, somewhere the night of the Quidditch House Cup after-party, Sirius and Sam had ended up on the couch, well, more on each other from what Lily could tell and now…

"You don't mind, do you, Lils, that I told him…I mean, I could tell you wanted him to…" Sam looked up from the snog that Sirius was trying to start with her. His face landed on her neck instead and she giggled slightly before pushing his face gently away.

"No," Lily sighed, and James rolled up his parchment, put it in his bag. He stood up and offered his hand to Lily. She grabbed his wrist and she hoisted herself up on his weight. He pulled her a bit too hard and she fell into his chest. He kissed her softly.

"Ready to go?"

"I think so," she said, putting her hands on her hips and sighing heavily. With resolve, she removed her wand from her pocket and waved it, whispering "Accio" to the air. Her bag came whizzing down the stairs and she attempted to catch it, but a hand reached in front of her and James grabbed it before her.

"Anything else?" he smiled at her, and Lily actually smiled, feeling happy relief for the first time in a while. He hoisted his own bag over his other shoulder.

"No, I don't think so," she said to him. She looked at her watch, "Dumbledore said we could Apparate out to London at five. We have ten minutes to get down outside the gates. Filch is taking us out."

"How lucky are we? That charming—"

"C'mon," Lily punched his arm lightly, "We only have a month left with that guy."

"Think of all the poor kiddies who are going to have to suffer him later, though," Sirius said, looking at them all worriedly as Sam stood up to hug Lily, "Maybe we should off him now. We'd get medals you know. Or we should, anyway."

Sirius reached out and shook James' hand, gave him a half hug, "See you, man."

"You going to be alright?" James asked, and Lily saw him look out the window to the rising moon. It was nearly full and the grounds were almost entirely illuminated on the clear night. Sirius grinned.

"I can hold my own, Prongsie. Like Evans said, only one more month," he clapped Remus on the shoulder, who was looking particularly pale and sick once more. Lily had always known Remus was sick, but she really thought it was getting to the point that someone should have a look into what it was exactly that ailed him, "And you'll be back…"

"Tomorrow night in the latest," Lily offered, hugging Sam one more time. Sam hugged James and Sirius even offered an embrace to Lily.

"Don't hesitate to punch ol' Vernon square in the kisser," Sam said earnestly to James, "I'll take Petunia down later, but you and Vernon…oh boy, Lils, you'll have to take pictures for me."

James raised his fists, "Let's go."

Lily pushed his hands back down, smiling indulgently, "Let's go," she said again, turning towards the portrait hole, James following behind her.

"What, you don't think I could take on, what's his name, Dursley?"

"Yes, it's Dursley, and no, I think you could kill him, which is why I would rather have you refraining from fighting," Lily told him as they crossed the halls and began their descent to the entry.

"As you wish," James said, taking her hand and kissing it. Lily felt herself begin to smile, but as they stepped out of the doors into Filch's care, she suddenly felt very nauseous at what she was doing. She was leaving school on a weekend to go visit her murdered parents' graves, see her sister and brother-in-law who had buried those previously-mentioned parents without her, and on top of everything else, she was taking James Potter, the boy she was undeniably in love with, along for this ride...who knew what he could see. If she cried, if she yelled at Petunia, if she swore at Vernon...there were so many negative action possibilities...how easy would it be to scare James away?

But the boy next to her just squeezed her hand tightly and offered her a smile that she felt confident was full of love as they followed Filch out to the gates of the school.

"You'll be able to apparate once you're outside of the fence," Filch said, putting extra emphasis on both the words 'able' and 'apparate', and the leer he offered them made Lily suddenly not so sad they were leaving for a little while.

"Thanks Mr. Filch," James said, putting on a large grin and sticking out his hand to shake Filch's. Lily resisted telling him that if Filch did indeed shake it, she would rather have him wash it before holding her own hand again. But Filch just grumbled at James and turned back to the castle, "Ah, well," James retracted his hand and wrapped his arm around her shoulders.

"I have this feeling that you've done irreparable damage to that man and his view of students," Lily said. The Marauders had been having an undeclared war with the caretaker for seven years now. Every stunt, every prank, every joke, every late-night kitchen raid, was like a stab for Filch.

"I wouldn't doubt it," James said, opening the gate for her and they stepped through.

"Alright, here's the address," she handed him a small scrap of paper upon which she had scrawled Number Four, Privet Drive, Surrey. He read it then stuffed it in his pocket, "I'll see you there," she promised, kissing his cheek then taking a step back and Apparating. It was uncomfortable to say the very least, but ever since she had mastered the skill, she loved the way it made her feel mentally: powerful and undeniably, well, special. Special in the way for which Petunia had hated her ever since she was eleven.

Her feet touched down on the welcome mat of the Dursley's home. To her surprise, James was already there.

"How'd you get here before me?" she demanded, feeling slightly less superior.

"Ah, Evans, there are some things you just can't beat me at," James said, smiling.

"I could beat you," she argued.

"No, you couldn't," he insisted, looking exceptionally confident.

"We'll continue this later," she promised, stepping forward and ringing the bell of the Dursley's house. James stood next to her and she took a huge breath when the door opened.

It was Petunia. Lily's elder sister by only a few years, but she looked quite a bit older. She had light blonde hair that she had attempted to curl, but it looked overdone and stiff, and Lily caught a large gust of hairspray. She was wearing a white dress that only showcased her too-skinny arms and legs, and over it a flowered apron. Lily only felt pity at her sister's attempts to be the perfect housewife. Petunia had never been beautiful, but Lily had always thought she was pretty—the curse of a sister, she supposed. She was a thin girl, but too thin, and her teeth were rather large, and he neck was rather too long. Nevertheless, Lily felt a strong urge to hug her sister. She resisted.

"Hello, Petunia," she offered, trying to smile. Petunia said nothing, just stared at her sister, then back to James, "This is James, my boyfriend. He's out here to say good-bye to mum and dad with me."

"Who is it, Petunia--?" a large man came around the corner. It was Vernon Dursley. He had a thick thatch of dark hair sitting atop his head and Lily saw with slight revulsion that he had grown a large moustache since their last meeting. He had been exceptionally muscular at the time he had met Petunia, while he still worked as a construction worker for a large firm. Since then, though, he had been promoted to an office job and most of his muscle had transformed him into a rather large, rather overweight man, "Hello Lily," he said begrudgingly.

"Hello Vernon," she returned in the same tone, "this is James," she introduced the two men and James, in a testament to his wonderful temperament, extended his hand. Vernon shook it.

"Her boyfriend," Petunia added, the first words that had been spoken by her.

"May we come in?" Lily asked finally.

"Of course," Petunia continued in her wretched tone, "Wouldn't want anyone to see you. Or Jason—"

"James," Lily corrected through clenched teeth.

"James, yes."

They stepped inside and Petunia closed the door behind them, "How long are you staying?" she asked, looking as though this may have qualified as the biggest waste of time she had ever had the bad fortune of experiencing.

"Not long," Lily snapped back. She knew she would have a short temper with Petunia, "We're just here to see Mum and Dad and then we'll be on our way."

"We could take you tonight," Petunia said immediately, "That would minimize the time you're away from that_ school._"

"Oh, that's alright," Lily countered, "We'll just apparate ourselves there. That's how we came out here."

Petunia winced.

"Apparate?" Vernon looked confused.

"Oh, you didn't tell him," Lily wasn't surprised at all. She was hurt. Oh God, she had known she shouldn't have come back here. She should have just left it alone. Her parents were the last remaining link between herself and her sister, and now they were gone. She should have let that have been the end of it. But she came back. And now there was little she could do. She took a deep breath that she imagined would steady her. It didn't.

"I suppose you'd like to know about the will?" Petunia demanded, desperately trying to change the subject.

"Sure," Lily said, sitting down on the couch. James did so as well. Petunia disappeared for a moment then returned carrying a stack of papers.

"Much of it is just legal talk," Petunia informed her, "The first page shows who was left what."

Lily took the first page off gingerly and read it to herself.

"They left you most of everything," Petunia said, unable to keep herself quiet any longer.

"You and Vernon have the house," Lily read off the page.

"Yes, we already have it up on the market."

Lily stared at her sister in disbelief, "Did you get all of the stuff out, all of the belongings, the paintings, the dishes, the…"

"Of course we did," Petunia returned, "they're all yours. Everything that wasn't the house itself now belongs to you. All of the money, their bonds, their stocks, everything else is yours."

"I suppose we'll have to sort through it," Lily said finally, "Sell what we can?"

Petunia just nodded and sipped a cup of tea that had been on the table since they had entered the house.

"Maybe, Petunia, if you could, you and Vernon could sort through it. Since I'm finishing up school and you two are already settled?" Lily asked.

"We'd be happy to," Vernon said, "One of the men I know and work has a brother who's an auctioneer and would be able to put up much of the stuff at auction."

"Thank you," Lily said, feeling as if their work was very suddenly done.

"We'll send you the money when it's over."

"Thank you," Lily repeated, standing now, "I think, I think we're going to go see the grave now. Then we'll head back to the school."

"Nice to meet you," Vernon said to James who nodded.

"You as well," James returned, "And Petunia."

Petunia just sort of sneered at him.

"Bye," Lily said as they stepped out of the door, "You know, our graduation is in a month…" she trailed off looking at her sister with hopeful eyes.

"People like myself aren't wanted at your school, you know that Lily," Petunia said before closing the door in her face. Lily bit her lip as James wrapped his arms around her for a hug.

"C'mon, baby," he said, as they both started the trek down the street, "Do you want to apparate?" he asked.

"It isn't a far walk," Lily said quietly, "And I think I'd like some of the fresh air."

"Anything you want," James said, taking her hand as they turned onto another block. At the end, Lily spotted the black fence and gate of the cemetery. She had passed it so many times during her childhood, but never once had she had someone buried there that she knew. They approached the gate and, taking another deep breath, they passed through.

The cemetery was pretty, if it ever could be described as such. There was well-kept green grass springing up everywhere, the trees were well managed and the hedges all clipped. They sorted through the rows of graves until Lily saw one that wasn't covered by green yet.

The headstone that Vernon and Petunia had picked was beautiful, made of purest white stone with black block letters spelling out ROSE EVANS and LOUIS EVANS. Both their birthdays and death days had been chiseled into the bottom. Between the names were two wedding rings intertwined and in those, the words: TOGETHER, EVEN IN DEATH. Lily read the words once, twice, then felt herself give in to the tears.

James caught her and she cried into his shirt until she couldn't any longer. She looked up at him and saw that even his eyes were glassy behind his glasses.

"I'm sorry," he said to her, and she just leaned her head against his shoulder, looking again at the headstone.

"What do you think of that vow?" she asked.

"Hm?"

"'Till death do us part.' Do you really think that's the end?"

"I don't, do you?" James asked, rubbing her shoulder. She shook her head, "I think it fits then."

She nodded. James shifted behind her and she saw he had taken out his wand. He waved it and two white lilies appeared. He caught them and gave them to her.

"You take one," she insisted, fighting back tears.

"Alright," he said, taking one back and laying it in the middle of the large grave. She stifled another round of crying and lay hers across his.

"Thank you," she said finally, hating how her voice sounded when riddled with tears and sorrow.

"You're welcome," James said quietly, looking at the grave.

"Let's go," Lily said finally and rather suddenly.

"Are you sure?" James asked and she nodded.

"Let's get back. I came and said good-bye."

"But you didn't," he said, his voice almost inaudible. She bit her lip. She hadn't said anything. She didn't want to, for fear it would be too taxing, but she knew she had to. She turned back around.

"Mum…Dad…" she looked at the headstone and the lilies, "I love you so much, and I'm so sorry I wasn't here for you." She lost her voice momentarily, but fought to regain it, "I want you to know how much I love you and that I'm going to fight for you, even though I wasn't here when it mattered," she added and gave a small sob.

"Shh…" James said, pulling her into him, "Don't say that."

She cringed, "It's true though, I wasn't here to protect them."

"Lily, you might have been killed too, and then there would be nothing more you could do for them. You're still alive. You're still here fighting. They need you alive more than anything else."

She knew he was right, of course he was, but that didn't change her feeling as if what she had said had some sort of validation behind it as well.

"Are you alright?" he asked her softly.

"I think so," she said, taking his hand in her own. Maybe this was how it felt when her mother and father had met. They had really been one of the happiest couples Lily had met. They fought sometimes, but there was no denying that they were in love with each other. They had stayed together till the very end, and now, somewhere, they were still together. Lily wondered if they could see her right now as she stood in front of their grave with the man she loved. The man she wanted to be with until death and hopefully after. She wondered if they could see how much she loved him and how much he loved her back. And somewhere in her mind, she had the feeling that they did.

Feeling completely renewed and strangely stronger, she led James out to the entrance of the cemetery.


	23. Validation

_Still don't own any characters that you recognise--except Samantha Tchaikovsky, you might start recognising her now…I hope…*long silence* (I know some of you are like "uh, Tchaikovsky?" Yeah, I'm onto you.)_

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_Right so, yesterday was a certain composer's birthday whose certain last name was Tchaikovsky. I really wanted to get this out in a sort of celebration, but I just couldn't do it and skip editing and such. Anyway, happy belated birthday to Mr. Tchaikovsky!_

_On another note: things are coming to a close, winding down, the end is definitely near. Probably no more than three chapters until graduation (ooh we all know what that means) And after that, well, after that I think I'll do a few chapters about the wedding (because we all know that's going to be loads of endless laughs) and a few about the Order and such. Ha ha...funny story there. I'll have to tell you all later. I just should let you know that I've probably gone round the bend._

_Hope you enjoy and PLEASE review!!! I wasn't going to post this until I had a hundred reviews, but then it was Tchaikovsky's birthday and I just had to do it. But please....pretty pretty, beautiful please? _

_Love Always,_

_Fae_

**Validation**

"Well, it's done," Remus walked into the dormitory. James and Lily were half-asleep on one bed, having just come back from Surrey yesterday, Sam sat next to Sirius on the bed working on her final essay for Transfiguration.

"What's done?" Lily asked, stirring and looking up blearily at Lupin.

"Jamie and myself. I couldn't do it any longer," he said, looking miserable. James gave a great yawn and sat up to look at Remus.

"I'm sorry Moony," he said looking at the blonde boy. Sam surveyed him as well, and saw with slight shock that he had a grey streak starting in the corn-blonde strands. Remus rubbed his eyes and when he opened them again, Sam saw they were bleary and exhausted.

"What happened? You don't have to talk about it if you don't want…" Sam realized it was an intrusive question.

"Well, you know we were having…problems, but she, she was willing to make it work. And, well—"

Sam just looked at him. Lupin had always been such a sweet kid, always wanting to do what was right, make people happy. Ever since their first year, he had been the more reluctant of the Marauders, perhaps the only reason that James and Sirius hadn't been turned out of the school for their insane pranks. He was the mediator of the Marauders. And she was fairly sure he had liked Jamie quite a bit. Furthermore, nothing he had just said had disproved that theory.

"And?" she prompted gently.

"I broke up with her," Remus concluded, and she knew she wouldn't be asking any more questions.

"Well, I'm sorry," Sam said, standing up and giving Lupin a hug.

"Thanks," Remus said, "Can I see your Transfiguration essay?" he added.

"Yeah," Sam tossed the parchment roll to him, "Good night then guys. I'll see you tomorrow," she leaned over Sirius, unable to keep away the desire and kissed him lustily on the mouth, pulling away after a few seconds.

"You're going to bed?" he asked, looking thoroughly disappointed, "I thought you would --stay—stay the night."

Sam swallowed and managed a smile, "I'm sorry, I'm tired…" she apologised, leaning in to his ear, "And I know I'd be up late if I stayed," she added in a whisper. She straightened and looked at Lily, "You coming to our dormitory?" she inquired.

"Yeah, I think so," Lily said, giving James a kiss goodnight, "I'll see you tomorrow," she said.

"Love you," James said as they left the room.

"Love you too." Lily answered, closing the door behind them. They made their way through the common room in silence, up the stairs and to their own common room. Sam changed into her pajama pants and was just about to close her eyes when Lily's voice interrupted her soon-to-be-sleep.

"Why didn't you stay with Sirius tonight?"

Sam turned around, looking thoroughly scandalized, "Why _Sister Lily_! What are you _suggesting_?"

Lily laughed, "Honestly. When do you turn eighteen, Sam?"

Sam turned a disparaging look to Lily, "Yeah, my birthday was in December, there Lils. But thanks for remembering..."

"I was just kidding," Lily said, straightening up her pillow.

"When do you turn eighteen, Lily Evans? Oh yes, May fifteenth, that's right."

"Alright calm down."

"What's your point?" Sam asked.

"You are not only a _wizarding _adult, but a consenting individual in the Muggle world as well. And you're eighteen. No one can blame you. It's Sirius Black for Christ's sake—"

"Really, you do not have place in the convent—"

Lily continued, unphased, "It's Sirius Black," she repeated, "And you turned him down yet again. You know the score between you and him is like, a hundred for you and maybe two or three for him—"

"What? Wait a minute, I don't think there are any points in his column, love," Sam injected, "Don't get carried away there."

"Right so, _why_ didn't you stay?"

Sam rolled over to look at Lily, "That doesn't matter," she said lightly. She sighed heavily and stretched her arms above her head, knowing she had to share what she was feeling with Lily. Lily was—had constantly been—the one person that she could talk to about anything, and she wasn't about to give that up, "I _want_ him, Lily."

Lily laughed, her voice twinkling like bells, bells, Sam realized, that were filled with understanding.

"Do you know how many times James has had to stop me?" Lily demanded, looking openly at Sam.

"It's different though, with Sirius," Sam told her, breaking eye contact. How long had she felt this, developed her hypothesis, kept it secret and hidden away? But that was the same long time that it had tortured her.

"What are you talking about?" Lily asked, propping herself up on her elbow, "He wants you, Sam."

"I know!" Sam wailed quietly.

"Then what's wrong?"

"I want him so badly," Sam confided in her, "But, well, part of me thinks," she paused, thinking of exactly how she wanted to voice her thoughts, "Most of me," she corrected, "thinks that once he gets what he wants, he isn't going to want me any longer. All he wants is me. He doesn't really like me."

"Oh, Sam," Lily looked at her with pity, "Do you really believe that?"

She nodded.

"Sam, I don't think that at all."

"Really? Think of all the girls he 'dated' all of these years since last year. When did they stop 'dating'?" Sam demanded. Lily looked uncomfortable. Sam knew she was right, "We both know for a fact that he was Mina's first time. And Kelleigh Liam, that seventh year, well, not her first time, but, well, you get the point. I'm sure there were more besides them, as well."

"You think that, to Sirius, you're, well, a notch in his bedpost?"

Sam groaned, "Exactly," she cringed at the phrase, but it was accurate in her ears nonetheless.

"I think that's rubbish," Lily said, turning and looking up at the ceiling, "Sirius likes you. And you kept him at bay for so long, I think he might even love you."

Sam gave a snort, "Yes, that's right I'm sure."

"Sam, why are you so negative suddenly?" Lily asked.

"Do you think I'm right?" Sam asked, "That Sirius wouldn't like me as much as when he hasn't slept with me?"

"I—I'm not sure how to answer that Sam," Lily admitted.

"I think you just did," Sam said.

"You're being paranoid," Lily said, "I'm not sure why, Sam, but there's some reason that you're afraid of letting yourself just be happy with Sirius."

Sam didn't look at her, just up at the canopy.

"Yes, Sirius is a player, I noticed that, but you must have noticed that he hasn't played anyone but you this year."

She was still quiet, but she knew that Lily was correct. She had always watched Sirius Black ravage the female populace of Hogwarts, dating, cheating, snogging, heartbreaking, always glad that she wasn't involved. And then, this year, she had been sucked into his orbit. And suddenly he had let up on the dating. In fact, she realized with a jolt that Sirius Black hadn't officially dated anyone this year. Anyone except herself, that was.

"You know I'm right."

She nodded, only slightly bitterly. She hated being wrong, even if it was something she wanted to be wrong about.

"But not love, Lils. He likes me," she admitted, feeling ridiculous saying it.

"I think there's love in there, Sam. All of those times he was dating those girls, he was always bouncing around from one to another, I think he couldn't settle down with any of them because he was waiting for one girl in particular…" Lily trailed off, and Sam finally turned to look at her.

"Lily, it all sounds good, but the odds that I, little old me right here, I was the girl for Sirius Black? It seems a little fantastic."

"Well, you are, so I'd best get around to accepting it."

"G'night, Lily," Sam said quietly.

"I'd go talk to him," Lily responded in an equally soft tone, "He'd be able to set you straight."

They were quiet again, and Sam thought Lily had probably gone to sleep, but she took a chance and spoke to the dark again.

"Do you think all of the girls here, all of the students, do you think they dealt with everything we are now?"

"What do you mean?" came Lily's voice from the dark.

"Do you think it's fair to have seventeen-year-olds living less than a hundred meters from each other and expect them not to, well, fall for each other?"

"I'll bet we aren't the first."

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"So what really happened?" James looked over at Remus, who was sprawled out miserably on his bed. He had just finished feeding Sam some cock-and-bull story about not being able to 'keep up' on his relationship with Jamie. Moony turned to look at him.

"What makes you so sure I lied to Nutcracker?" he demanded.

"It isn't too difficult to call your bluffs, Moony," Sirius assured him, "Now what really happened?" he asked again.

"I liked her too much, that was what happened," Moony said.

"What does that even mean?" Sirius demanded.

"It means—it means I wanted to tell her."

"Tell her what?"

"Why he's called Moony," James supposed, "Isn't that right?"

Moony nodded, ran his hands through his hair. He sat up and cradled his head in his hands, "When we started fighting, it was because she realized I was gone for a few days every month and she started thinking I was cheating on her. I—I couldn't tell her otherwise. I wanted to so badly, but she would never, ever stay with me then. Better a cheater than a damned _werewolf._"

James looked over at Sirius. This wasn't funny at all. Moony had obviously arrived at some sort of ultimatum concerning his affliction. For so many years, he had been able to make it by, go to school, have friends, have fun, despite turning into another animal once every month. But he had found something that couldn't be remedied.

"Cheer up, Moony," Sirius said, looking nervous even as he tried to pep Lupin up.

"For what? That's the problem, there's nothing to be cheery for, not anymore. How am I going to ever be able to, to _love_ a girl? To have any real relationship like this?"

"We'll find a way, Moony," James said, looking at him seriously, "Jamie was a good catch, but there's got to be much better for you out there._"_

Sirius started to catch onto what _real_ comforting was and brightened considerably, "Think about it, mate, there's a girl out there that will not only love you, but love your more…_wolfish_ side of you as well."

"That isn't true." Moony groaned, "It's completely unfair to expect _anyone_ to except me as what I am."

"Well, what about what we are?" Sirius continued, "I turn into a large dog on occasion, James into a deer—"

"Uh, it's a stag, there Padfoot," James pointed out.

"Yeah, a stag."

"That isn't the same," Moony said, and James saw something that looked suspiciously like anger in his friend's eyes. This was new. Moony was never upset. Moony was calm, cool, collected, "You know what," Moony stood up and crossed the room, opened the door, "I'll see you both later."

"Moon—"

"_Don't _talk about the damned moon right now, please," Moony turned around and attempted a wan smile before slamming the door behind him, and James knew this wasn't the end of this topic.

"You think he's going to be alright?" Sirius asked finally after a long pause.

"I don't know," said James, taking out the snitch that he had snatched from the Quidditch Cup and tossing it up in the air. Its wings sprawled out into the air and tried to whiz away, but he caught it easily, "How would you feel if you turned into a big dog every month and you couldn't tell Sam about it?"

"I hate to break it to you, _Stag_, but that's exactly what's happening between Sam and myself."

"But you don't _have_ to turn into a dog, and moreover you don't lose all control and have the capability of killing the people—"

"The people that I love? I know," Sirius sighed, grabbing the snitch from right in front of James' face. He grinned in triumph, "It's different. I just don't know what to say to him. I really can't think of any way around his logic. He's right you know."

"Don't be a git," James ordered, "Don't say that to him," he added hopefully.

"I may be a git my good mate, but I'm not thick," Sirius promised, tossing him the snitch back. The thing tried to make its escape but failed as James took it out of the air. James looked down at the little golden thing, then looked suddenly up at Sirius.

"Wait a minute. Did you just say--?" he looked up at Sirius, who looked confused at first. Then a look of realization crossed his face. Then he turned around and landed on his bed.

"No way," Sirius scoffed, leaning over his bed and picking up his Transfiguration book. He flipped it open, leaned back and held his text up in the air in front of him. James shook his head.

"Man, what are you doing?"

"I'm—"

"Studying? Bloody hell…"

"You're right," Sirius tossed his book aside and turned out his lamp, "'Night Prongsie."

"'Night there, lover boy."

From the dark spot that was Sirius' bunk, the text book flew out and glanced off James' headboard.

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"Do you know what next week is?" Lily asked, setting down her goblet on the table in the great hall at lunch.

"N.E.W.T.'s," said James. Lily looked at him, surprised.

"How did you—"

James leaned over and kissed her just to quiet her, "C'mon, Lily," he said, disparagingly, looking at her with smiling eyes.

"Alright," she acquiesced, kissing him again. She wasn't going to mention it now, but with next week being N.E.W.T.'s, the following weekend was graduation and after that, well, what? For all of the talking that she and James did, they hadn't talked about what they would do after graduation. Where would they go? Would she still see him? She had the Order to think about, her career. She allowed herself to sneak a glance at James, and when she saw him she knew that she wanted him to be part of her future as well.

"If you wanted someone to tell, Evans, you can ask me. I didn't know," Sirius swallowed a huge mouthful of food just in time to speak.

"It's just outrageous how you continuously put yourself out there to be mocked," Sam said, staring at Sirius.

"Just another thing you love about me." Sirius assured Sam, and Lily wondered if she was the only one who saw Sam's smile waver for a second. But she regained herself almost immediately and kissed Sirius quickly.

"I—" Sirius looked as if he had developed a very large resolve to say something. James looked up and caught Sirius' eye.

"You what, Padfoot?"

"I can't wait for my N.E.W.T.'s," Sirius said, swinging his fist in such a manner that Lily thought he should be saying something such as: "That's swell."

"Well, Nutcracker, it has never been clearer that you have had a wonderful impression on Padfoot," James said in an odd tone that even Lily couldn't recognize. She tried to catch his eye, but he and Sirius were very suddenly involved in their dishes, which were clean.

"Hello everyone," Lupin had walked up behind them. Lily was happy to see that he was looking much improved. His face was brightened and the circles were gone, his hair had been combed neatly, a characteristic grey streak on one side. Remus' eyes were bright and happy, and that was when Lily saw someone standing behind him.

"Hey Mina," Lily said, smiling slightly at the blonde girl. She looked strangely out of place, and Lily realized that she had become accustomed to this small group of people, and admittedly a bit distant from others.

"Hi Lily," Mina responded, smiling a bit at her, a bit less at Sam, but smiling hugely at both James and Sirius. Lily rolled her eyes mentally, just as Sam coughed violently on her pumpkin juice, spewing Sirius with spittle.

"Thanks there, love," he said, wiping his face with his sleeve.

"I'm sorry," Sam said quickly, but she never looked at him.

Lily followed Sam's wide eyes to the point of surprise. Mina was holding Remus' hand. Or rather, Remus was holding Mina's hand. Either way, the spittle was justified. Mina looked disgustedly at Sam and her spit then coughed lightly.

"Oh," said Lupin, "Mina and I are going out now."

Sirius knocked his own goblet of pumpkin juice all over Sam's robes, James coughed so hard on the crust of his sandwich that Lily actually considered giving him the Heimlich. Somehow he managed to cough it down, thanks to a large pat on the back from Sirius. Sam recovered first.

"That's nice," she said carefully.

"Yeah," Sirius glommed on, looking extremely grateful that his own girlfriend had spoken for the both of them. Sam winked at him as she started wiping off her robes.

"That's great, mate," James said, and Lily took her own opportunity to glom onto her own significant other by nodding in response.

"Thanks," Lupin said, sitting down, and taking a sandwich for himself. Lily analyzed his tone. When he had talked about Jamie, even when they were nearing their breaking point, he had always sounded invested in her, caring for her. When he had just now revealed that he and Mina were going out, it had been careless, haphazard, a second thought. Lily wasn't the only one who noticed.

"Why do you all seem so surprised?" Mina demanded after a moment of silence, her smile remaining in place but her eyes flashing, "Is it that impossible that Remus could ask me out?"

Sam caught Lily's eye and they shared a mental nod, agreeing not to become involved in this particular strain of conversation. Girls could become quite violent concerning their relationships. James and Sirius noticed this as well, but seeing as their own girls weren't speaking, James took the task for all of them.

"Absolutely not! We were actually just shocked that Moony--I mean _Remus_ had finally revealed his, well, I guess there's no point in keeping it secret any more, _clandestine_ attraction to you."

Obviously sensing both fraud and jesting, Mina's eyes narrowed, "It wouldn't be the first time a 'clandestine attraction' had been revealed," she said without missing a beat looking at Sam and Sirius pointedly, "The Russian _immigrant _and British badboy were certainly the surprise of the century--at least, for the rest of us."

So she hadn't missed the fact that their little Marauder posse was rather exclusive. Lily had always been looking in on it as well, this was the first time she was even close to the Maraudres. And she knew waht it looked like from the outside. She knew how James and Sirius and Remus and somehow even Peter had looked like they were above it all, their easy smiles and admittedly humorous jokes that had made her laugh every year, even if it was a laugh with bitter resentment, the quality of _everything_ around them, like they really were the thing around which everone was revolving.

"It may be clandestine to the rest of the school," Sirius said, looking carefully at Mina, "But I'm sure this will testify to Moony too: it's real."

"Clandestine indeed," Sam stared Mina down. A testament to Mina's intelligence, she looked away first. Sirius pulled Sam close into him. It was so painfully protective that Lily had to fight the urge to smile.

"Hm, well, I guess I'll see you around then," Mina said, ignoring all of them suddenly and bending over to kiss Remus. To Lily's immense disgust, she watched as Mina took precise care to stick out her derreire in the direction of both Sirius and James while doing so. She wasn't sorry at all to see her leave.

"Her?" James demanded as soon as Mina was safely gone. Remus looked up. Lily had seen him look sick and tired so many times, but that had always just been his physical appearance. Now she saw in his eyes that he was exhausted.

"She's such a chore," he said quietly.

"Her?" James repeated, and Lily placed her hand on his arm to calm him down.

"I'm sorry she said that to you, Sam," Remus offered.

"Don't sweat it," Sam said smoothly. She had always excelled at disallowing people to bother her.

"Her--?" James asked again, much to Lily's chagrin.

"Yes, her," Lupin said, turning his exhausted eyes to James. James must have seen that same depressed exhaustion and he backed off, "She's pretty, she might be annoying--"

"You'd be better off with a skrewt," Sirius offered and Sam hit him.

"Shut up," she said, "That's his girlfriend. He doesn't say that about me." Sirius looked back down at his plate, clearly chastised.

"She might be annoying, but I don't really care for her and she doesn't care for me, so I couldn't think of any way for this to end badly."

"Moony, that's no reason to date a girl."

"Maybe not, but that's what I'm doing," Lupin reached for another sandwhich.

"And how do you know she doesn't like you?" James inquired farther.

"She's just trying to get to you and Padfoot," Remus said.

"And you accept this?"

"I don't expect her to accept anything of mine," Lupin said, and Lily couldn't miss the obvious message behind his words, "So yes, I don't care."

"Mate, I don't think you should go through with this," Sirius spoke up and Lupin just shook his head.

"She's my girl for now, and I'm going to go see her," he stood up and strolled out of the Hall.

"I'm going to go change my robes," Sam said finally, after everyone had had a moment to watch Lupin walk away to what was surely not the most envied conversation of a lifetime, and consider what he had just said. Lily considered asking what it was that he didn't expect Mina to accept, but decided against it.

"I'll come with you," Sirius said, standing up before her and taking her hand. Lily remembered something suddenly.

"Dumbledore sent me a message this morning," she said quietly, and Sam and Sirius lagged behind to hear her message, "Tonight at eleven, we're all to meet in the Potions room for some Order related something. He said he isn't going to be there, he has 'business', but we're all supposed to be down there anyway."

"If he isn't going to be there, how is he going to tell us anything?" Sirius inquired the obvious.

"It's Dumbledore."

They all nodded, knowing that for every secret and untold story each of them had, Albus Dumbledore had a hunderd times more.

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"Ready?" James asked, standing up. It was nine fifty at night, the common room was nearly black. The fire was completely out, no flames lent any light, only the red glowing cinders of a few logs remained, and Sirius was busy snuffing them out using the poker and shovel. He and Padfoot had dressed in jeans and some ensemble of Gryffindor sweaters.

Above them the door of the girls common room opened and Sam and Lily stepped out. Each was wearing jeans as well, Sam had a form-fitting black shirt and Lily was wearing a black sweater. They descended their staircase silently and quickly and then they were all standing next to each other in the black room.

"Well, if this isn't fun," Sam said, sticking her hands in her pockets and pulling out her wand with one.

"Right?" Sirius asked, standing up behind her and rubbing her shoulders.

"Shall we fly, fellow Phoenixes?" James said finally and Lily laughed in a soft voice that made him feel as if he were the most entertaining person in the world.

"Let's get this done," Same said, moving out into the hall. The corridors were so quiet that the silence vibrated loudly in James' ears. Then he realized he was just straining his ears for any noises that might announce a visitor.

"We aren't really supposed to be out here, are we?" Lily supposed, whispering to the silence.

"I'm sure if we were found by the right people…"Sam trailed off, "Yeah we aren't supposed to be out here."

"Let's get moving please," Sirius said, moving more quickly down the hall. They all hurried to match his pace and in only a few more minutes, they had reached the potions corridor and were descending one more set of stairs down to the chilled stone area. However, thanks to the Marauder's Map, both James and Sirius knew that this was also the area in which the Slytherin common room was located. This was the most dangerous area in the castle. They were quite literally in enemy territory.

"Has anyone ever told you that you look like a dog when you run?" Sam asked as they reached the Potions room. Sirius looked up from pointing his wand at the lock on the door and caught James' eye.

"No, love, I've never heard that. Should I be insulted?"

"Move," Sam said in response to what she obviously realized was a mocking question. She pointed her wand at the lock and it detached itself immediately from the door and with the skill of a chaser, she caught it before the lock touched the floor and tossed it towards Sirius, who caught it relatively clumsily. Sam laughed quietly as she pushed the door open and they all filed inside.

"Somehow this isn't what I thought it would be," Sirius said as they approached the only table in the room. There was a single candle burning on the table and below that an envelope.

"We can't really fight anyone while we're still in school," Lily said pointedly, reaching towards the envelope and peeling back the seal. She dropped it with a little gasp as the envelope contorted into a complex origami shape that, when it finally stopped contorting, looked strangely like Dumbledore.

The envelope coughed.

"Thank you all four for coming. I know it's late," the envelope said. Then it looked at them. James realized it—Dumbledore—was waiting for an answer.

"Not a problem, sir," James said.

"I'm glad you feel that way, Mr. Potter. The Order of the Phoenix is indeed a career for you young people. And not just you," the envelope—Dumbledore-- coughed again and smiled, "When you graduate, your first assignment will be to meet the rest of the Order. We have two meetings each month, more if necessary. We hope it isn't."

"Why did you call us down tonight? If we can't really start assignments until after graduation?" Sam asked Dumbledore.

"Just as I have begun to recruit probably students for the Order, I fear that Tom Riddle has also recruited a group of students at the school."

"Here?" Lily's voice was surprised and James felt a tug of affection for her endless presumption of positive intent in others.

"Yes. I want you all to watch your fellow students. I have reason to believe that they are in your class. They will most likely be in Slytherin house."

Sam snorted in derision, "I'm shocked, sir, truly."

Dumbledore smiled, "Be that as it may, Miss Tchaikovsky, I would recommend that you overcome your shock. These students are fully prepared to kill Order members. They may already be Death Eaters."

"Sir, I don't mean to sound rude, but if you have reason to suspect certain students of being Death Eaters, why don't you just expel them?" Sam spoke again and Sirius nodded behind her. James agreed as well, but he just waited for an answer.

"An excellent question, Miss Tchaikovsky. Every day that those children spend here is another day that they are not in the company of the Dark Lord."

Sam nodded in what was obviously reluctant agreement.

"However," Dumbledore continued, "If you have evidence beyond a reasonable doubt—I stress both evidence and reasonable to you, Mr. Black—"

Sirius grinned.

"—I will investigate the case and, if it is true, I will be forced to expel the perpetrator. I cannot put the rest of my students at risk for the life of one. Please, I ask you all to be wary. If these Death Eaters are in the school, they will be looking for you."

"We'll keep our eyes out," Lily promised the envelope.

"I'll be watching for reasonable doubt. Or evidence," Sirius agreed.

"When are you going to be back, sir?" James asked.

"As soon as I find possible," the envelope promised them all with a small smile.

"Well, is there anything we say to sign out of a meeting for the Order?" Sam asked.

"I believe you would be the first to coin one," Dumbledore said.

"Never mind," Sam said, looking apologetically at the group.

"I'm running out of time, the enchantment on this envelope is wearing down. Be watching, please." Dumbledore asked them all, and the paper seemed to have a concerned furrow in its brows.

"G'night sir," they all muttered. The paper seemed to sigh, then fell back into its flat position.

"Magic, eh?" Sirius reached out and touched the paper. It continued to sit harmlessly on the table.

"Well stated," James congratulated him.

"Um, guys?" Sam was standing by the door, her head pressed against the wood. She held her finger to her lips and they all fell silent.

"Filch?" James mouthed.

She shook her head. She pulled up her sleeve and pressed two fingers to the spot where--where--where the Dark Mark would be if she had one. James pulled out his wand, Lily and Sirius doing the same. Slowly, silently, they crowded around the door. James peeked out of the crack between the wood and the frame.

There were six of them, all still wearing their Slytherin robes: Narcissa Black and Lucius Malfoy were instantly visible, their hair white with the tiny amount of light penetrating the potions corridors. There was Alecto and Amycus Carrow. The other two...one spoke and James realised it was Regulus Black.

"The Dark Lord said they would be here," Regulus drawled and James saw Sirius' hand tighten around his wand.

"How do you know the Dark Lord's wishes?" the second anonymous Eater inquired and James knew it was Severus Snape. Lily's jaw dropped to the floor and when she set it again, her bottom lip quivered slightly. James felt little more than red hot rage in his blood. Severus had been Lily's friend nearly as long as Sam had. Until two years ago, Lily had done nearly everything with Severus. James was never sure what Sam's feelings towards the greasy bastard were, but she had accepted him as long as Lily had. And then on that fateful day two years ago, Sirius had decided to play a prank on old Sev. It had ended badly, with Lily coming to Snape's rescue, only to be called a Mudblood by him. She hadn't spoken with him since and he had left her be.

"Our Lord has been keeping tabs on the great fool Dumbledore as he tries to catch up with our Master. He never will," Regulus added surely, "But our Master has caught up with him and intercepted a message that was sent from Dumbledore to his little Order members in the school."

"One was probably your brother, Black," Lucius scoffed, but it was obvious that the rest resented whatever position the youngest Black brother held with the Dark Lord.

"Dumbledore has instructed his members to watch for us, to report us."

"When did this occur, oh dearest cousin?" Narcissa inquired with her own acid drawl.

"Soon enough that they are still out of their common room," Regulus responded confidently, "It's just up to us to find them and kill them."

"They heard us," Sirius mouthed and they all nodded in derad.

James stepped back and Sam stepped back up to the crack.

"What do we--" Lily began.

"Everyone down!" Sam screamed, ducking and covering as their cover was blasted back.

"Found them," Narcissa Black stood in the used-to-be doorway.

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"Everyone down!" Sam yelled, throwing herself to the floor, taking special care not to smash her wand as she did so. Narcissa Black must have heard Lily's nonexistent whispering for she had blasted the door back with a silent wave of her wand.

"Found them," Narcissa's lips began to curl.

"Petrificus totalus!" Sam yelled again. Narcissa deflected it easily.

"Tut tut," she said, swallowing her own shield charm and throwing out another curse.

"Imobulus!" Lily shouted and James echoed her. Before either of the Carrow siblings could turn around, they were out of the duel, both renered immobile. Now it was four on four. Sam caught sight of her other opponents: Lucius Malfoy, Regulus Black and Severus Snape. Admittedly, she had never hated Snape. But now, now that she saw who he really was...

"Locomotor Mortis!" Sirius now shouted as his own brother raised his wand. The duel had begun.

"Stupefy," Narcissa suggested, a jet of red streaming out. Sam knocked it back effortlessly. Behind her shield, she saw Severus and Lily locked in on each other, James exchanging light with Malfoy, Sirius engaged with his brother.

"Furnunculus," Lily offered to Snape and the latter was not quick in setting up his shield. Boils exploded all over Snape's face and he fell, "Petrificus totalus," Lily added, and Snape's body snapped to a stiff board while boils continued to surface. Immediately, Lily turned to assist James, who was having an especially heated duel with Malfoy.

"Avis!" Sam screamed now and yellow birds propelled themselves towards Narcissa. She burst them all back with disgust.

"Enough!" she announced, "Avada Kedavra!" she shrieked.

Sam was knocked to the ground by Sirius, who immediately rolled and stood again. Sam lept to her feet just in time to offer another stunning spell. Sirius was forced to leave her immediate side in an attempt to disarm Regulus.

"How adorable," Narcissa purred, "Crucio!" she shouted again, and Sam was hit. The pain was absolute hell. It ripped through her body and settled in her heart, in her brain, and she knew she screamed out, "What a pity," Narcissa spat, "How does it feel, half-blood?"

She saw Sirius look over his shoulder at her and saw Regulus take his opportunity to attack his brother.

"Don't make the mistake of protecting her, brother," Regulus advised as a silent spell ripped through Sirius' left arm, drawing blood.

"I don't have a brother," Sirius swore and added, "Conjunctivus!"

Regulus fell with a shout, holding his face as his eyesight was effectively removed. Narcissa looked back at the youngest Black boy just long enough to break her concentration on Sam. The pain remained, but Sam felt her motion granted to her again and she managed to grab her wand.

"Expelliarmus," she whispered, and Narcissa's wand flew up into the air, "Flipendo!" she said in a slightly stronger voice and Narcissa blasted back into the wall where she smashed into the stone, unconscious.

"Enough!" a desperate scream came from Lucius Malfoy who had grabbed Lily's hair and was now holding her to him. James froze, wand aloft, Sirius fell still and Sam laxed her body, so exhausted from the recent physical pain that she couldn't move anyway. "No one move or I'll kill the Mudblood. I will. I swear."

"I don't like that term," Severus Snape said, appearing behind Malfoy and smashing a tiny chunk of flagstone into his skull. Malfoy folded and Lily was released. She stumbled into James' waiting arms. Everyone turned to look at Severus. The boils were gone from his face and he had managed to free himself from the body bind.

"Get out of here," he said in his same bored voice.

"Sev..." Lily spoke out in her own old nickname for the boy and Sam saw the smallest flicker of love in Snapes' blackest eyes.

"We were going to leave anyway. I'm going with them. I'll wipe their memories, I'll make it alright," Severus promised, "Just get out of here."

"What were you doing with them?" Lily demanded, reaching a hand out towards Snape. He shrank back.

"I can't explain. Now. Leave." Snape turned and began to drag the bodies of his fallen comrades towards a common area.

"Snape--" James stuck out a hand. Snape looked at it once then turned away.

"Let's go," Lily said, taking James hand and pulling them up towards the stairs.

"Yeah," James said quietly, still watching Snape's black massed body move with certain fluidity.

The last that Samantha Tchaikovsky saw Severus Snape, he waved his wand and performed a very tricky minimal memory charm over his band of fallen Death Eaters. She would never know how he had freed himself from his body bind in order to save the girl he had loved for so long, humiliated so recently, but it didn't matter. Sam would never forget the evil resolve in Lucius' eyes and she knew that he wouldn't have hesitated to kill anyone. Lily owed her life to Severus Snape and James owed him therefore as well.

Snape looked back at them once more. Sam nodded at him and he gave the slightest of head movements in response. He levitated every body into the air, reached into the folds of his robes and pulled out a long slender box. He muttered something, the box glowed brightly and then they were gone.

Above them, numerous footsteps galloped down the stairs. Professors Kaelyn, McGonagall and Slughorn appeared at the top of the staircase.

"My god," McGonagall surveyed the damage. The door was blasted off of the entire potions classroom, debris had shattered countless vials and there was a dent in the wall where Narcissa had made impact.

"What happened here?" Kaelyn demanded, "Who was it?"

"The Carrows, Lucius Malfoy, Narcissa and Regulus Black," James said, having no problem giving the names of the attackers. He stopped abruptly though.

"And Severus Snape," Lily's voice was surprisingly strong. Sam looked over at her. She had a strange expression on, one of resolve, disgust and maybe, under everything, a little bit of gratitude.

"Where did they go?"

"Portkey," Sam explained simply.

"That's impossible," Slughorn began but McGonagall cut them off, something in her cunning eyes telling Sam that she knew why they were all down here.

"Why don't you take care of your classroom, Horace?" she suggested. Slughorn nodded and, muttering to himself, entered his destroyed classroom and pulled out his wand. He set to repairing glass, blowing the door back into place with a simple flick of his capable wand.

"Did Dumbledore send you down here?" Kaelyn asked and they all nodded.

"We'll take care of this," McGonagall promised, "I need all of you back to your respective beds."

"Mum's the word." Kaelyn added before turning out her own wand and repairing the entire wall instantly.

"Let's go," James offered again and this time they made it all the way back to the common room, no more unannounced visitors paid them a call.

"Well," Sam said, standing near the staircase.

"Certainly wasn't boring..."Sirius observed.

"You only say that because it's true." Sam returned.

She looked at Sirius and caught his eye. He had saved her tonight.

She liked to think that she would have been able to put up her shield in time, save her own self, but there was no way to know for sure. The only definite thing was what had happened. And what had happened was that Sirius saved her life. And sacrificed himself in the process.

He _had_ injured his arm! It had been overlooked in the fight and the aftermath, but when she looked down she saw it was still seeping blood. James and Lily saw her looking and they spotted it as well.

"Mate you got a little something--" James motioned to his own arm.

"Oh." Sirius looked down and he made a sour face, "One hell of a family I have," he muttered.

"I'll get it," Sam said, conjuring a few bandages from her wand tip and catching them as they crumpled to the floor.

"It's fine," Sirius protested, turning his arm away from her and smiling.

"Shut up and let yourself be taken care of," James advised, taking Lily's waist and pulling her back towards the portrait hole.

"Where are you going?" Sirius demanded.

"We have rounds," James explained.

"I forgot," Lily groaned, looking thoroughly un-Head Girl like.

"Yes, get those done," Sam told them, "I've heard there have been some students lurking in the halls." She rolled her eyes and everyone laughed quietly.

"Go kick some ass you two," Sirius suggested and James gave them a thumbs up as he followed Lily out of the portrait hole.

"Now sit down," Sam told him.

"It really isn't that bad," Sirius griped again and she sighed, but he sat on the couch anyway, "Here," he offered, swiping off his shirt and tossing it aside, "That should be easier for you to work with."

"You've been waiting to do that all day, haven't you?" Sam accused, refusing to swoon at his muscular self. She took his arm gingerly in her hands and observed the wound, "Doesn't look too bad," she murmured, using her wand to create some water. It landed on Sirius' discarded sweater and she used the corner of the material to clean out the wound, "Tell me if that hurts," she said quietly and he laughed.

"It's fine," he assured her.

"Alright," she acquiesced, tossing the sweater aside and picking up the bandages. She wrapped them snugly around his arm, "Don't flex," she reminded him, realising that his bicep was strained.

"I'm not," he argued.

"You are," she insisted mildly, "And you're a terrible patient."

"Fine," he huffed and she laughed when he relaxed. His arm hardly lost any bulk. She secured the end of the bandage within one of the other folds.

"All done," she said, "How does it feel?"

"Fine," he shrugged. They sat in the quiet for a little bit longer. Then:

"I'm sorry," Sam spoke in a whisper.

"For what?" he asked, looking down at her.

"That your brother, well, that you even have to be in the sitution where you would have to fight your own brother."

"Don't worry about it..."

"I heard what you said to him," she added. He looked at her questioningly, "That you don't even have a brother."

"I don't," he said confidently.

"I'm just sorry is all," she said, regretting a little bit ever bringing up this strain of conversation.

"Sam," he said and he touched her chin to make her look up at him, "Family is the people that you love, the people that are there for you when you need them. The Potters, they're the closest thing I have to family, they are my family. Lily's more of a cousin to me than Narcissa. And you..."

She looked away, not wanting to hear this, dreading any response that he could give.

"...You look really, really _nice_ when you're dueling."

She smiled, not really sure what else she had wanted him to say.

"Thank you," she said, guiding his jaw towards her and kissing him soundly, "I'm glad...I guess I just worried that if, well, I don't think people can survive without some sort of family there for them."

"Don't waste time worrying about me," Sirius said surely.

"Ah, but I haven't anyone else to worry about," Sam contradicted him with a small smile and when she leaned her head against his shoulder to stare at the glowing red fire she couldn't help wondering just what it was that she was to him.


	24. And There It Was

_Still don't own any characters that you recognise-except Samantha Tchaikovsky, you might start recognising her now…I hope…*long silence* (I know some of you are like "uh, Tchaikovsky?" Yeah, I'm onto you.)_

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_So here's the thing. You may have figured out by now that this story is coming to a close. I don't want it to, but it's inevitable. I will probably claim to have finished it, then keep adding chapters, spoofs (I still have to tell you all about somethin...Oh my Buddha I cry just thinking about it...you would all get a giant kick out of it...worry not I haven't forgotten) etc, because that's the kind of unreliable person I am. But I digress..._

_'And now dear little children, who may this story read' (if you know where that's from, tell me in your review, 'k? I will have to come up with a fabulous prize for the first one to tell me...) Please leave little old me a review? Please? And may I have this moment to request reviews of decent size? I'm like an old person who all their joy is in their mail! And why deny an old person, eh? I'm not old...just like getting mail...alright I'll stop. Anyway... PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE (and, while I still have a shred of my dignity left) PLEASE? Because I love hearing what you thought as you were reading. And if all of you very sweet beings out there who added me as a story alert or author alert added a review or just all of you who get a hit on this story and think it's just meh or whatnot. REVIEW!...just a tiny moment of your time (now I sound like I'm selling cookies) but it's for a great cause! Me! Thin Mints!...I am soo sorry._

_Oh, and the titles a little weird, but I realised I used that line thrice, so...There It Was!_

_Coming Soon: N.E.W.T.s! Graduation! Meeting the Parents (how could that_ not_ be fun? Oh, I have BIG plans for that, yes siree Bob)! Proposals! _

_Love always,_

_Fae_

**And There It Was**

"Eat, Lily," Sam insisted, looking at Lily's pale face, staring down at her empty dinner plate. Lily shook her head.

"This _is_ common practise for her, isn't it?" James asked of Sam who exhaled loudly and nodded.

"Every year, right before exams, she can't find it within herself to eat," she explained, "I think it's sort of like a ritual cleansing for her..."

"Or maybe I'm just not hungry," Lily offered rather snappishly. Sam looked taken aback, but only for effect.

"...But either way she'll start eating again tomorrow. For sure." Sam assured James, who was still taking sideways glances at Lily, obviously alarmed that exams could have this effect on a body.

"Then why tell her to eat?" Sirius demanded, looking as though this was all very perplexing to him.

"That's part of the common practise as well, love."

"Lily, they're just exams," James clarified to Lily, whose green eyes were just about the only discernible feature on her face, the rest drained of colour.

"No," she said, still looking at the golden plate, "they're...they're..."

"C'mon Lily, I believe in you," Sam encouraged, if not a bit sarcastically.

"They're N.E.W.T.s," she spat out finally, as though it were both a curse word and disease all rolled up into one. Sirius looked up at the ceiling with wide eyes then back to Lily.

"Wow, Evans, you said that and the sky didn't fall...no, wait, there it goes. Well done."

Sam looked at Sirius and shook her head before dissolving into a fit of laughter at what she obviously thought was impressive wit, "Shut up," she said when she surfaced, but Sirius just grinned at her. Lily saw what anyone could classify as extreme infatuation between the two of them.

"You do know what N.E.W.T stands for, don't you Evans?" Sirius inquired and Lily saw James' eyes both laugh and falter at the same time, "Naturally Exten-"

"Mr. Potter? Miss Evans?" Sirius stopped mid-innuendo as McGonagall spoke from her position directly behind him, "The Headmaster would like to speak with you..."

She gave Sirius one final glare before walking back to the teachers' table.

"Was no one going to tell me she was standing there?" Sirius asked, raising his eyebrows in concern.

"Nope."

"Negative."

"Sorry."

"Lovely," Sirius said, sighing, "Really bloody lovely you lot are..."

"We're aware," James said, standing up and offering a hand to Lily who was fairly sure she wouldn't have been able to stand unsupported. She couldn't believe _N.E.W.T.s_ were tomorrow already! Surely she could have prepared more than this! Sure, she had been studying all year, completing every assignment with full marks, but something in her overactive subconscious told her that she should have worked in another two, maybe three hours last night. She sighed heavily as she followed James and stopped in front of Dumbledore.

"There you both are," Dumbledore smiled kindly at them both and beckoned them into a corner. Lily was forced to remember the first time the headmaster had addressed them both as Head Boy and Girl. It had been at the beginning of the year, when she had still despised James Potter...she couldn't really believe that had ever been part of her past, "Well, well, the year certainly has drawn to a close rather quickly, has it not?"

"Yes sir," James smiled and Lily just nodded.

"After seven years of exams, Miss Evans, I would have thought that you would have outgrown your need to worry about end-of-year tests," Dumbledore chuckled and Lily attempted a smile, "Alas, I digress. As you both know, graduation is within the week and I would like you as the Head Boy and Girl to say a few words at the commencement. I know this doesn't leave you much time to prepare-" he added as Lily visibly balked at the thought of more work,"-but I feel confident you will manage. If for some reason you do not, I have a rather interesting hat in my office that has a habit of inventing useful speeches..." Dumbledore winked at them and Lily felt her stomach unknot, if just a wee bit.

"Is that all, sir?" James inquired, tightening his grip on Lily's elbow and she wondered just how badly she looked.

"I believe so, Mr. Potter," Dumbledore dismissed them, "Be sure to tell Mr. Black that I will miss his humour..." Dumbledore added as they began to turn away. James laughed but Lily saw his forehead wrinkle a bit.

"There's no way he could have possibly heard that..." James snuck a last look at Dumbledore over his shoulder as they made their way back towards Sirius and Sam as the rest of the hall stood to retire to their common rooms.

"Heard what?" Sirius caught onto their conversation strain at the doorway.

"N.E.W.T.s," James explained, "Dumbledore said he'd be missing your humour."

"Jesus," Sirius looked up at the headmaster who was busy speaking with McGonagall, "But he's an old bloody-"

"It's Dumbledore," Sam said, "Just let it alone."

"Well," James said, obviously beginning a new strain of conversation, "It _is_ our last night of official freedom. Tomorrow's N.E.W.T.s and the next day is graduation and then we're out of here and into the Order..." he trailed off and caught Sirius' eye. They both grinned suddenly.

"I'll find Moony," Sirius offered and Lily saw Sam's face mirror her own feeling of distrust and curiosity.

"I'll come," Sam said in the same curious tone of voice as she followed Sirius up ahead of the crowd, both of them moving with an athletic fluidity that was impossible to replicate. It was the same athleticism that Lily saw-and admired- in James.

"What's all this about?" she asked, looking up at James who turned to look at her fondly.

"We're the Marauders," James said quietly, looking as though he were confessing to her to be one of the Knights of the Round Table. And there it was. With that tiny little metaphor, she had confessed to her sub conscious that James was, in fact, her knight in shining armor. And he had come to rescue her. And the irony of it all was that he had been there for her all along. She was just now noticing. Some Juliet she would be... "And we have a bit of festivity planned for tonight to celebrate the last night of freedom." James added, pulling her out of the bizarre realisation fest she was having.

"James, I need to study..."

"Like hell you do. Lily, you're an absolute genius. You could have passed your N.E.W.T.s the day you came in here," he looked at her hopefully, and she realised that no matter how much he wanted her to go, it was still her decision.

"Fine," she said and he leaned down quickly and kissed her cheek.

"If we're lucky, we'll be out of the common room by ten," he told her, now quickly divulging the plan, "Sirius has gone to get Moony and then he'll take Sam to the kitchens for a little bit of fun from the elves..."

"Oh dear..." Lily rested her head in her hand as they took their spot by the fireplace, "Dare I ask what we'll be doing?"

"Without adult supervision, Evans, anything goes," a voice spoke up behind her and she jumped. Sirius was standing there, "Couldn't find Moony," he said to James, "Sam went to the kitchens."

"Where the hell is he?" James asked, looking up at Sirius who promptly shrugged. James looked around the room quickly and then back to Sirius. Lily saw what he was looking for. Mina was seated in a far corner with Joanna and a few sixth year girls she didn't recognise.

"Well _she's_ here..."

"Oh." Sirius looked as though he had overlooked something dreadfully obvious, "I'll go get him," he trotted up the stairs to the boys dormitory and returned after only a minute, "Getting help from Kaelyn," he said, "I'll go grab him. Meet you back in the Room in..."

"Half an hour?" James suggested and Sirius nodded before returning to the halls.

"How did going up to your dormitory help him glean any greater understanding of where Lupin was?" Lily asked, looking at James suspiciously.

"Do you, my dearest Lily, remember that cloak I let you borrow?" James inquired, taking her hands in his own and surveying her over the rims of his glasses. She nodded, "There are some things-like the cloak-that need to be repossessed by this lovely castle."

"Oh?" Lily leaned her head against the back of the couch to look at him.

"I swear it," James told her, kissing her hand before releasing it. She took her hand back and put it on her lap, "And then we might have a few _toasts_ to this old place."

"Oh dear," Lily sighed, "James Potter, sometimes I don't know what to say to you."

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"James Potter, sometimes I don't know what to say to you," Lily looked at James. How many times had he stared at her, held her gaze before, but this time he dropped her gaze in favor of looking at the couch. His arms were warm from her using his whole name. It sounded like-he wasn't really sure what-but it sounded a hell of a lot better than when Padfoot said it, when _anyone _else said it.

He loved her name even more: Lily Evans. Jesus, could anyone have invented a better name-a better girl? And he wanted to ruin the poetry. He wanted her to be Lily Potter.

And there it was. That was why he couldn't keep eye contact with her. She may have been nervous about N.E.W.T.s, no matter how unnecessarily, but he was nervous for a different reason. If all went correctly, he hoped to be proposing the notion of marriage to Lily Evans in little more than fifty hours.

_"How about yes?"_ He wanted to say, but seeing as he hadn't asked that oh-so-important question as of yet, that response probably wouldn't have made much sense. He shook his head out and smiled at her, catching her green eyes again.

"Love you," he said, realising that he really honestly and truly meant it.

"Love you, too," Lily said, still observing him as though he were slightly mental. That was all he needed, some sort of acquiescing response...

They were interrupted for the second time, this time by Sam, who was looking particularly cheerful, her hair had been swept from what James had to guess had been running and her eyes were bright.

"I think we're ready," she said, crouching down to look at them just over the couch.

"Where's-?" James started.

"We got him. He was-er-well, _avoiding..._"

"Ah," Lily nodded.

"Right, well..." James stood up in what he sincerely hoped was an inconspicuous manner, helping Lily up after him. Sam stood as well, walking out without another word, leaving Lily and James behind her. She was clearly understanding the concept of secrecy. James took Lily's hand-a reflexive action now-and pulled her out of the portrait hole and into the halls. Sam was waiting right by the entrance, staring at a picture of a rather temperamental knight.

"I can quite honestly say I have never seen this before," she peered at the painting more closely and the knight drew his sword.

"You get that monstrous beast away from me, you scallywag," the knight insisted as Sam's nose nearly touched the paper.

"Bloody hell," she looked at the knight, "I'm Russian and it's genetic," she said, obviously not that insulted, but poking the tiny man for fun, "I like you," Sam said decidedly, laughing at him.

"You having fun, Nutcracker?" James laughed at her distraction.

"Shut up, Potter, I've made a new friend."

The knight drew himself up to a rather impressive height and looked at them all, clearly complimented, "If you need anything, Sir Cadogan is here, at your service," the knight promised.

"Thanks, but I've got her," Sirius had appeared behind them all, leaning against one of the bannisters and looking at the knight as if he were some sort of clown, which, to be sure, he was, "I was getting worried about you three," he commented, "and now I see I had good reason: while I wait steadfast and true in the tower for my beloved, she hath found another. Alas!" Sirius clutched his chest and James and Lily laughed good-naturedly. He lifted his head for a brief second and winked at them.

"Ah, the _jester_ of the court," Sam said, obviously choking down a laugh as she started up the staircase to the Room of Requirement, where the Marauders always held their more formal ceremonies. Sirius abandoned his act and caught up with Sam, Lily and James falling in behind her.

"C'mon," Sirius leaned down towards Sam, "not even a chuckle?"

Sam bit her lip and shook her head. Sirius straightened and looked forward.

"Not even a _guffaw_?" he asked and Sam finally laughed, standing up on her toes to kiss his cheek. When she rolled back down off the balls of her feet to her typical height, Sirius looked down at her again. For a very odd reason, James would never forget the look on his best mate's face as he stole that one simple glance at Sam, who never even knew that he looked at her. There was something much more than affection or longing there, the cockiness and bravado had been completely deflated for one moment. Sirius Black, Padfoot of all people in the world, was very clearly in love with Sam.

James used the term clearly very loosely, because he had a feeling that not only did Sam not know, but that Sirius himself might not have even picked up on it yet.

Sam looked back up at him and the expression vanished, his swagger was completely restored.

"What are you looking at?" she demanded, looking just slightly self-conscious.

"Nothing," Sirius muttered, a small smile forming on his face. James looked at Lily, more to ensure that he hadn't been the only one to see this tell-tale exchange. Lily was fairly beaming and James wrapped his arm around her shoulders.

"I think it's right...around..." Sirius tapped the wall at the end of the corridor as they had successfully made it to the Room of Requirement, "Moony's all safe and sound..." he straightened as the stone wall morphed befor their eyes into a large door. Moony pushed it open.

"Glad to see you," he said, sounding, well, relieved.

"Lupin, I like you, I really do, and I say this in the most loving way," Sam prefaced as they all scooted into the Room, "I don't think you should be hiding from the girl you're dating."

"Yeah, I sort of picked that up," Lupin confessed, closing the door behind them.

"You breaking up with her?" Sam asked, "Sorry, you don't have to answer that..."

"Yeah, hopefully right before we go in for exams tomorrow," Lupin told her.

"Wow..."Lily looked around the room. The Room had done a rather excellent job since their first year of creating an impressive place for their Marauding. It appeared to be a gentleman's club, with leather covered walls and dark wood paneling. The floor was a rich and deep wine colour, a small, free-standing stove had been pushed up against the far wall and thick leather and velvet cushions littered the ground. There were low-hanging chandeliers with hulking candles and heavy brass chains to light the rest of the premise.

"Nice, huh?" James asked, putting his hands in his pockets and surveying the place, "I think I truly will miss it..."

"Now now, Prongsie, there will be time for tears later," Sirius promised, flopping down on a cushion. Sam sat across from Sirius, Lupin on Sirius' right and Lily and James filled in between so that James was sandwiched in between the two girls, "I tried to find Wormtail, but he seems to be worming about even more than is usual for him," Sirius informed the group.

"Well, his loss then," James said, feeling only slight worry at Wormtail's disappearance. If he had indeed made new friends, then there was nothing wrong with that.

"So, _Marauders, _what exactly are we marauding tonight?" Sam asked in an only slightly scoffing tone.

"Returning what has already been marauded, good Nutcracker," James told her, "Padfoot?"

Sirius winked at him and pulled out the Map from behind his back.

"What is that?" Sam demanded, looking as though this were all below her. It was probably beneath all of them at this point in their lives, but there was no problem with reliving what would become their glory days.

"You are certainly more of a morning person," Sirius commented.

"Your loss, Padfoot," James slipped in smoothly.

"Maybe not," Sirius winked and Sam threw a candle stub at him.

"You're terrible," she said, looking affronted, "Truly horrible."

"Yes, yes, I know. I believe it's my turn to start this final meeting off?" Sirius looked around, smirking, "Everyone here agrees to keep these most secret going-ons under wraps?" he surveyed them all, "Good, well, first off, let's hear it for having _women _at one of these, eh? I truly never thought it would happen."

"Thank you, women," Moony said, looking amused.

"Anytime," Lily said, moving her cushion so that she was lying against James' leg. He suddenly found himself very distracted by the red-headed beauty that was currently leaning against his leg and had to blink a few times to look away. The effect she had on him was truly...well, addicting.

"Anyway, the map," Moony put them back on track, "I move to leave it in this room for a new generation of Marauders."

"I like it," James said, pondering the situation, "Definitely."

"Just what the world needs," Sam said, "More marauders. May I see this map?" she asked, reaching out for the map, which Lupin handed to her. She unfolded it to a blank piece of parchment. Dingy parchment at that, "Clever as hell, I would like to say."

"I solemnly swear that I am up to no good," James said, whipping out his wand and resting the tip gently on the page. From its tip, ink began to sprawl across the page, webs of painstaking layout.

"What-" Sam stared at the artwork in her hands, her eyes glancing to the bottom of the page where the words _Messers Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs_ _are proud to present the Marauders Map_ were blossoming, "You made this?" she asked incredulously.

"Aye," Sirius said,"What say you, Nutcracker?"

"It's...amazing..." Sam scrutinized the map, "What kind of work went into this?" She demanded.

"More than probably should be admitted," Lupin assured her.

"And now to clean it up-" James reached in with his wand again, "Mischief managed." The map was wiped blank.

"Oh how I would love to see this in action after we're gone," Sirius sighed, "But I suppose we've outgrown our use for it."

"A pity," Sam agreed, and she sounded quite serious, instead of mocking.

"Well," Lupin took the map back, stood up and placed it on a small ledge in the room which James felt certain hadn't been there when they had entered, "To the next generation of Marauders?"

"Oh, that reminds me," Sirius reached behind him and retrieved five flasks of firewhiskey, "A toast."

Everyone took a flask and held it up.

"Go ahead again, Moony," Sirius prompted.

"To the next generation of Marauders," Moony repeated, "To those they will meet and to those who their antics will affect. May they use it for only the most noble of quests."

"Hear hear," Lily lifted her flask and knocked a sip into the back of her throat. James found it impossible not to note the almost graceful, certainly sexy ease at which she took the whiskey.

"Amen," Sirius said solemnly, though James noticed he took a conspicuous lack of whiskey. James attempted to catch Sirius' eye to ask what he was up to, but it was his turn to speak.

"Hear hear," he repeated Lily, taking some of the whiskey for himself, enjoying the way it burned its way down his throat to warm his entire head, stomach. He resisted the urge to take more, having made the mistake of too much firewhiskey one too many times.

"Concurred," Sam spoke now, kicking back another rather artful sip.

"That looked rather...practised, Tchaikovsky, Evans," Lupin told them, his eye brows arched.

"I have to agree," Sirius said. James nodded.

"What?" Lily looked at them all, a bit too innocently, James noticed.

"Oh come on, were you really under the impression that after all these years you three were the only ones in our class to have had firewhiskey. Or any sort of liquor for that manner?" Sam demanded.

"Um, yes, we were," Sirius assured her.

"Well then, you were wrong," Sam said simply, shrugging a bit.

"I suspect a story," James proclaimed and Lily gave a convulsion of laughter that seemed to lift her up off the ground. She looked up towards Sam.

"Go ahead," she granted and Sam grinned, eyes sparkling.

"Well, we were in a pub and I was talking-"

"-Flirting-"

"He was adorable," Sam argued, "Anyway, talking-"

"-Flirting-"

"Fine, so I was flirting with this Scottsman and he bought us a few rounds. So, you know, you only mess up drinking whiskey, what, once? Then you have a lesson learned," Sam shrugged, "Anyway, he tought me this bar trick-"

"And thus your future as a bar maid has been cemented," Sirius intoned, and Sam threw a glare in his general vicinity.

"Interesting," James said, looking at the two of them, "You certainly weren't of drinking age, even by Muggle standards."

"You clearly underestimate what we, as girls, have the power to get," Sam looked at them all openly. All three boys looked at her as if deciding if they were really that dependent on women. James looked at Lily and knew that it was completely true. All she would ever have to do was ask...

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"_And_ you clearly underestimate the drinking age in Scotland," Lily added and Sam laughed. It may have not been too funny, but the whiskey was in her head, and she felt warm and light and that single memory was simply too funny to be ignored, "Alright..." Lily said to no one in particular.

"Anyone have an activity to suggest?" James inquired, "I'm really not ready to go back," he added, checking his watch. Sam knew it had to be going on midnight, but it hardly mattered. This had the potential to be some of the last real fun she would know.

"Nervous," she suggested with a smirk. Lily giggled and James smiled at the mention of the ridiculously stupid yet ridiculously entertaining game.

"Alright," Lily repeated and Lupin nodded from where he was leaning against the wall. His eyes were drooping and Sam had the feeling that soon they would have one less player.

"Padfoot, you in?" James looked at Sirius.

"What the hell is Nervous?" Sirius asked. Lily broke down laughing again and Sam turned to stare at Sirius suspiciously.

"I'm _sure_ you've played," she said and she was slightly surprised by how cool her voice was, "Probably didn't have a name for it when you did..."

"He has," James confirmed, without looking her in the eye.

"I figured," Sam said nonchalantly, "It is Sirius Black we're talking about here."

"Anyone want to clue me in?" Sirius looked rather miffed at this poin. James reached over and put his hand on Sam's knee. She ignored it, knowing for a fact that _James_ of all people wasn't going to do anything.

"Nervous, Nutcracker?" he asked in a clearly mocking tone. He started moving his hand up.

"Just remember that _is_ how she got that nickname-" Lily began with another giggle, sounding as if the firewhiskey was beginning to have an effect on her, too, but she choked on her laughter as Sirius' hand came down and grabbed James' off of Sam's leg, fluently twisting his arm behind his back.

"What the hell are you doing?" Sirius looked thoroughly appalled, "_That_ isn't a bloody _game_ for Christ's sake!" He released James, still looking at all of them, aghast that they all seemed to sanction this kind of tomfoolery.

"It _is _just a game," Sam looked at Sirius. Quite honestly, she was slightly touched that he was so protective of her, but he was thoroughly overreacting-not to mention that he quite obviously didn't trust James or her, which was insulting to say the least.

"And _you_," Sirius' voice was so incriminating that she felt her eyebrows shoot up.

"Me?" she challenged. What did he think their relationship was? He wasn't in charge of her, he wasn't her father...

"Yes you. You have a disturbing inability to be _nervous_ or whatever the hell you called it-"

"Oh as _if_ you haven't done worse," Sam fairly spat, tilting her chin up, a defensive behaviour.

"Not to you," Sirius spat back and they scowled at each other. But there it was. He had respected her, never tried anything on her that she didn't want to do. He had been a completely different Sirius Black for her, towards her. And yet, all of this tension between them, she realised-this jealousy from Sirius, the anger from herself, was, well, quite honestly-

"It's hormones, you'll get over it-" she promised him as she felt her anger flare for a final time. She scooted her and her cushion back towards the opposite wall from him and Lupin and looked at the group. Maybe that was all it was for him, but as she looked at him from across the room, she couldn't escape the feeling that maybe...just maybe...it was more than that for her. Of course it was, she realised, it had been from the very beginning.

"New game," Lily looked unsurprised at Sam and Sirius' outburst.

"Truth or dare," Sirius offered and Sam recognised what was the look of a calculating, seventeen-year-old Marauder, trying to find a way to get back at her.

"Oh do you recognise that game?" Sam's sarcasm was rancid and even tasted slightly acidic in her mouth, "I mean, are yhou sure you'll be _comfortable_ with this game? Shall I explain the rules to you, just to be sure-"

"Oh shut up, Tchaikovsky-" Sirius looked as though his own anger had flared up.

"_Don't _bloody speak to me that way," she ordered, feeling her face contort into uncontrollable surprise, "You're such an-"

"Right, well, I think I'll go first," James offered and the two fell into brooding silence.

"Alright, James, truth or dare?" Lily asked him.

"Truth."

"Oh, okay..." Lily paused and looked around, "What was your worst dream?" she started. Sirius scoffed.

"Honestly, Evans?"

"Well, what else is there?" Lily looked slightly insulted.

"How about what scares the hell out of you?" Sirius suggested.

"How witty," Sam sneered, but his words had struck a chord. Lily's suggestion as well as Sirius' were actually quite good questions. A person's worst fear was hugely telling about that person's character, past, future, everything. But they all had the potential to lie, and she had quite forgotten the Veriteserum..."Boggart," she said, and Sirius locked eyes with her.

"Wicked," he breathed, a small smile turning up the corner of his lips. He stood up and retreated to the rear of the room, near the shelf where the map was waiting for future marauders. Next the shelf was a small cupboard with a tiny golden knob and lock, "Toss me that key, Sam," Sirius said and Sam looked down to see a tiny golden key lying next to her hand. She picked it up gingerly and tossed it to him, feeling confident that neither the cupboard nor the key had been there when they had come in. He caught it and unlocked the door, opened the cabinet and pulled out a tiny bottle with grey glass and a red stopper. He returned to their tiny circle, "New game," he propesed, "I dare you all to have a go at this Boggart."

"That's ridiculous," Lily argued, looking slightly uncomfortable.

"You game, Prongsie?" Sirius challenged, looking every part his confident, cocky self.

"Only if you are," James returned.

"Moony?"

"Sure," Lupin said drowsily.

"Your first, Prongs," Sirius tossed the vial to James adnt they all rearranged their circle so that a small stage was formed around the stove. James took his spot at the front. The fire and candles dimmed considerably, much like lights at a show.

"This damn room gives me the creeps," Sam confessed, looking over her shoulder, honestly expecting someone to be behind her. The firewhiskey lay abandoned as they all turned their attention to James.

"Wand at the ready, Prongs?" Lupin jeered slightly, "Before we go," Lupin cautioned, "I move to say that no one asks about what or why the Boggart transforms into what it does, agreed?"

Sirius looked slightly disappointed and opened his mouth, but he caught Lupin's eye and nodded. Everyone agreed. This was about as dangerous as a dare to go downstairs and poke McGonagall with your wand until she woke up. In fact, the way they were all looking now, Sam had the feeling that all of them would have rather taken that dare.

"Yeah," James looked down at the vial and Sam saw just a slight amount of worry in his face. A wave of resolve crashed over him and he pulled the stopper out.

Lily was there suddenly, in front of James, her face full of pure hatred, her eys narrowed and arms crossed. She tossed her long red hair over her shoulder and her tiny pink mouth opened, laughed a terribly harsh chuckle. When she stopped, her green eyes flashed.

"No," she said, "There's no way that will _ever _happen, James Potter. Are you stupid? Or just a little slow?" Boggart-Lily offered, "There's no way in hell..."

Sam felt a stab of guilty pity for James. As she looked around at the others' faces, she realised that she was the only one who knew what this was truly about. Lily was looking both confused and concerned and Sirius and Lupin were studying the scene. As Sam watched them, she saw Lupin's brain click. He nudged Sirius and motioned to the ring finger on his own left hand. Sirius nodded slowly. James face was slowly draining of colour as he raised his wand at Lily.

"Riddiklus," he muttered, and Lily was gone, turning into Snape, large nose and black eyes included, but Lily's red hair remained so that the result was a rather frightening clown of a person. James forced out a laugh and with a loud snap the Boggart was back in the vial, stopper in place. As James sat back down, there was even a stronger sense among everyone that this was a real dare. Lily just looked at the floor as James sat next to her.

"I'm sorry," he muttered. She turned her head to look at him.

"I love you, James Potter," she whispered and Sam almost felt like crying, it was so sweet. She was so confident that Lily was going to say yes. It was obvious however that James did not hold the same confidence. Lily took James hand in her own as Moony stood up, took the vial off the floor.

"I'll go next," he unstopped the Boggart without a moment of hesitation. Instantly a bright and shining full moon appeared. Sam had the stray thought that it had never looked so menacing. Lupin pointed his wand at the Boggart.

"Riddikulus," he growled and what had been the moon was now a pale balloon, popped and flying around the room as air wheexed out. Remus caught the Boggart again and held up the vial. He turned his trademark weary smile to the group and James and Sirius laughed at something they obviously all knew. Sam forgot to be annoyed-she actually wasn't very much of an evening person-but felt within her that if she didn't go now, she never would.

"I will," Sam offered, pushing herself up off of her cushion and catching the vial which was again tossed to the next victim. She took a large inhale, having a very dreadful feeling tha she knew exactly what the Boggart was going to be. She had had nightmares about it nearly every night since she was three.

The stopper came off and she was facing her own mother, her hair dark, honeyed blonde falling down her back in long curls that were held out of her face by the burnt-wooden hair comb that she always wore, her eyes blue and teary. It was her mother, she was sure of it. It smelled like her perfume, the very tip of her nose was red, the only part that reddened when she cried. And she was holding out a ticket towards her.

"We have to go back," her mother said, hand still extended, "I'm so sorry. Papa has everyone else. We have to go now."

Sam felt herself open her mouth to argue, to cry, to disagree, but before that tiny cry of "No" could come out, she had her wand up, "Riddikulus," she spoke to her mother and her mama was gone, replaced by a very small monkey wearing a fez and vest and offering her a ticket to the circus. She giggled at the wide-eyed monkey and the Boggart disappeared with a snap.

She turned around.

"Here," she extended the vial to Sirius, resenting the way her hand was shaking. When he took it, she felt him squeeze her hand, but she refused to lok at him-at anyone. This was how they all had felt...they had to! There really was no lying, no hiding from the boggart, from yourself anymore. How many times had she had that dream, but never, ever had it been this real. She shook her head, trying to forget how the Boggart had known to call her father Papa, how her mother had looked every bit like her real mama.

She pulled her knees up under her chin and looked up at Sirius, who seemed to be pondering something. He looked over his shoulder and caught her eye, then released the Boggart for the fourth time.

The wall was covered with a very large, very old looking tapestry on the wall and Sirius stared at it in open-mouthed shock. He jumped as a tiny explosion hit the tapestry and burnt through one of the names. Sam quickly read the rest of the names. It looked as though it were a family tree, but the names were not of a blood family: Marianne Potter and Charles Potter were connected with a tiny golden line, James Potter and Lily Evans were connected as well, Lupin's name appeared, but it snaked in from some unknown place, and her own name, Samantha Tchaikovsky, was connected to the first singe. Every two seconds there was another explosion and another singe, another name obliterated. She understood his Boggart perhaps better than even her own. It was his family, not the people that were related to him, but those who he loved.

"Riddikulus!" Sirius thrust his wand towards the tapestry and with a very loud snap the tapestry was gone, replaced by a morose head that had been mounted on a plaque. As Sam looked on in disgusted intrigue, she saw it was the head of a very disgruntled looking house elf in a Santa Claus hat. But before she could see any more Sirius let loose a very bitter sounding laugh. The house elf was gone and Sirius turned around.

"You ready, Evans?" he asked, tossing her the vial. Lily bobbled it between hands but finally caught it. She stood up and walked with the confidence for which Sam had always admired her to the front and took a very short breath through her nose, released the Boggart for the final time.

Nothing happened at first, and Sam wondered if Lily had really let the Boggart go. There was a strange crackling sound in the air and it appeared. The Boggart was clearly being split into what were clearly Lily's worst fears. Instead of one thing she feared the most, there were two, and the Boggart was attempting to make up for it. As one fear pulled on the other, Professor McGonagall appeared, telling Lily she had failed her N.E.W.T.s, but before Boggart-McGongall could go into depth, the other fear pulled on the end and there was a head stone. A name was carved into the centre: James Potter. The Boggart snapped and McGonagall was there.

"How could this have happened, Miss Evans?"

Snap.

Headstone: Samantha Tchaikovsky.

Snap.

"I'm very disappointed."

Snap.

Headstone: Petunia Dursely.

Snap.

Lily had had enough. Her face was rather sheet-white but she held up her wand with determination and shouted at McGonagall: "Riddikulus!"

The Boggart exploded in a small flurry of sparks. There was no laughter required, the Boggart seemed to have been fighting itself just to frighten Lily, and her charm had annihilated it.

Lily's chest was heaving from the effort when she turned around, and Sam saw a very tiny tear that Lily artfully flicked away in a movement camouflaged as pushing her hair out of her eyes.

"What the hell was that?" Sirius asked, "Evans, you're like a Boggart slayer."

Lily attempted a laugh, but it didn't work.

"Are you alright?" James asked and Sam nodded in agreement. Poor Lils. Sam knew how much stress exams put on her, they always had. But now there was an obvious new fear, one that had stemmed from her parents' deaths: Death itself taking the people _she_ loved.

"I'm fine," Lily's voice was shaky, but colour was filling her cheeks again, "Is that it, then?" she asked of everyone. Sam looked around. Everyone looked exhausted. But whether it was from exam-stress or the Boggart-or in Lily's case both- it was impossible to tell.

"I think so," Remus said, standing up, "A good night to you all then. I think I might go and find Mina now...maybe I'll get a good night's sleep that way," he muttered.

"Ah, afraid she'll come find you?" Sirius taunted and Remus didn't even look back to entertain his friend, "Imagine, waking up in the middle of the night to a crazed person over your bed with a knife," Sirius set the scene, "they rip through the hangings on your bed-"

"Shut up, Padfoot," James said, as they all stood up and headed towards the door.

"They couldn't get by the portrait hole," Lupin returned before moving down the corridor.

"They could if-if-if they had a list of passwords!" Sirius shouted in a whisper after Remus.

"Don't be an idiot," James said, shaking his head.

"Well, she's in Gryffindor anyway," Sirius said bitterly, sticking his hands in his pockets, "She's already past the portrait hole..."

Sam took off after Lupin down the hall. She was actually a little worried about him and the reaction Mina might have, but more than anything, she wanted to get back and get up in bed. Sirius lagged behind with James who was comforting Lily. She didn't want to see him right now anyway...


	25. Nastily Exhausting Wizarding Tests

_Still don't own any characters that you recognise-except Samantha Tchaikovsky, you might start recognising her now…I hope…*long silence* (I know some of you are like "uh, Tchaikovsky?" Yeah, I'm onto you.)_

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_Alright, so...that line "and now dear little children who may this story read" was from _The Spider and the Fly, _quality poetry, good message, it's a kiddie book, but fun to read. Anyway, now I'm up a creek because currently Remus won't have a date for Lily and James' wedding. So...(sorry if you think that's a lame prize...I work with what I have, and what I have is my invented story line, a keyboard and a monitor, so yeah, and I know how many of you love Remus)none of you got it, so I'll have to invent a new contest. Sigh..._

_This chapter, I shan't lie, has a lot of Sirius/Sam. Some of you dig that, some of you hate that...I'm sorry. I promise that there will be an overwhelming amount of Lily and James in the next chapter... I swears it. Also, Sam might seem a wee bit bipolar in this chapter, but it will sort itself else...it always does. So, thank you for bearing with me!_

_I love you all so much...I can't even tell you! Please and thank you for the reviews!_

_Coming Soon: Graduation, Meet the Parents, Proposals_

_Love always,_

_Fae_

**Nastily Exhausting Wizarding Tests**

...Sam lay awake in her bed, the hangings drawn round. She knew it was probably two in the morning, but she was finding sleep particularly evasive. True, once she had returned to the common room, she had been exhausted, but when she fell ito her bed, she couldn't close her eyes. For one, she kept thinking about the Boggart. That had been disturbing beyond words. She could hear her mother saying over and over "We have to go back."

She had feared having to go back forever. It had always been in the back of her mind. And she was never quite sure what exactly they would have to go back for, just that she would have to leave. When she had made friends with Lily, that fear had increased dramatically. If she left, she would be leaving Lily, her best friend, far behind. And now, she couldn't help but add Sirius and James and Lupin to that list. They were all her friends. Sirius was, well, Sirius was a boy she liked very much, and to be honest, she knew she would have been heartbroken to leave him behind.

She rolled over onto her stomach and pressed her face into the pillow, trying for sleep. She sighed and propped herself up, looked down at her watch. Indeed, it read 01:56, and though she knew she had tests in the morning-all day in fact, but she couldn't sleep. Not right now.

Quietly, she pulled the hangings back and swung her feet around, stood up silently in her silky white pajama shorts and white tank top and ballet-looking slippers and tiptoed out of the door past Mina-who had spent the better part of the night crying after Lupin's break up- and Jo. Thoroughly disturbed by her own Boggart (James' headstone), Lily was spending the night with James, Sam figured more to reassure herself that James was not, in fact, deceased. She wondered briefly if James would propose to her tonight, while they were alone, but she remembered how nervous he had been, and decided he wouldn't.

Although she felt slightly paranoid doing so, she grabbed her wand off of her night stand. She hadn't been without it since the novice Death Eater attack, and felt considerably safer with it in her hand.

She pressed her left hand against the second hinge on the door to keep it from squeaking-a technique that she had been shown by one of the graduating seventh years last year, and successfully made it to the stairs. Her feet padded silently on the stone, the flexible leather soles dissolving any sound that may have been made. The fire was still burning relatively brightly, but as all of the other candles were extinguished and the moon was new, there was a border to the cast light. She approached the back of the beaten red leather arm chair which had been her favourite since her first night at the castle. Its material was cold at first, but it warmed up quickly and it was almost magically soft...

"Stupefy!" A jet of red light spun at her from the shadow cast by the chair and reflexively she threw up her wand.

"Protego!"

The red light bounced harmlessly off of her shield and she stood there, hair on end, in her pajamas, ready to fight Lord Voldemort himself.

"Jesus Christ," Sirius exclaimed, rubbing his forehead with his palm as he saw her, "How the hell did you get down here so quietly?"

"Why the hell are you sitting up at oh-two-hundred stunning the first thing that goes bump in the night?" she demanded in return, waving her wand and disbanding her shield. Sirius replaced his wand in his pocket.

"I thought you were-" he broke off and sat back down in the leather arm chair-her chair, she couldn't help intoning bitterly-and as she rounded the back of it to take the other arm chair, she saw that he had been playing himself in chess, "Did you just tell the time in _military_ time?" he asked, looking up at her with a smirk.

"The crazed person with the knife and passwords? Scared yourself with your own story, Black?" she asked, feeling a small chuckle bubble up inside of her, more of relief than anything else, "And I'm allowed to tell the time however the hell I choose." She wrapped her arms around herself to protect herself from the chill, his taunting question, as well as his eyes which were looking her over. She refused to be complimented.

" What the hell are you doing up?" he asked, resetting his pieces and ignoring her comments and questions.

"Couldn't sleep," she sat down in the chair next to his.

"Me niether."

"Obviously," she muttered, wishing dearly that she had been alone in the common room.

She sat in silence for a moment, Sirius looked at his untouched chess board and Sam stared at her feet.

"You wanna play?" Sirius asked, without looking up. She jumped a little bit at his voice but cleared her throat to speak.

"Sure," she still sounded a bit savage, and she decided that she was. For whatever reason, she was angry at him again. And they only had two more days together at this place. She scooted her chair so that she was facing him. He moved his knight out over his pieces.

"Here," he said, standing up and grabbing her arm as she extended it to move her piece.

"What?"

"Switch chairs with me. I know you like this one more," he explained, pulling her up so that she felt as if she didn't really have a choice. She sat down in her favourite chair, the leather warm against her skin instead of cold. He spun the board around so that they were at their respective sides once again.

"Thanks," she muttered and he just smiled with a look of infuriating knowing.

She moved her pawn out a single space.

"Shouldn't you be sleeping for your exams?" Sirius asked, staring at her. She stared back. His eyes were so tired, he himself looked exhausted.

"I told you I couldn't sleep," she responded flatly, "and I could say the same thing about you," she countered.

"I told you I couldn't sleep," he mimicked her with a slight amount of mocking tone and she felt her anger flare for a moment, but let it pass. _Why did he make her so upset?_ Sirius swallowed rather loudly then opened his mouth, "And you know, what you said earlier, it isn't true."

"What?"

"About _it_ just being...hormones..." he looked terrible pained, "or whatever."

"Oh no?" she felt the same anger she had felt earlier come rushing back. This was exactly why she didn't want to be with him right now. She knew he would bring it up.

"No. I...well, I was just-"

"You don't trust me. Or James. It was _James_, Sirius, he wasn't going to do anything. And I wouldn't have let him. But you didn't trust us."

"I'm _sorry,_" he looked upset, "I should have...no! I shouldn't have let it go!" he exclaimed with sudden resolve, "You shouldn't have done that."

"Maybe not," she shrugged, "but you still should trust me."

"How can I _trust you_ when you pull things like that all the time?"

"_All the time?"_ she repeated in astonishment.

"Well, I guess not all the time, but..."

"_All the time?"_

"Alright, so you don't do that. Ever." he looked slightly alarmed at her reaction.

"I know I don't!" she forced her voice down as to not wake the rest of the house, "Which brings us back to why you don't trust me." He just stared at her. She continued, unphased, "See, you don't trust me because what we have isn't a real _relationship._ It's just you wanting to get me in the bloody sack!"

Oh bugger it was out now. There was no going back from this. She had spoken her mind and she could see that, not for the first time, it was just about to come around to bite her.

"_What_?" He looked at her in dismay, "You're bloody _crazy_. And we do have a relationship," he added, looking perturbed at her evaluation of their relationship.

"I am _not_ crazy," she exclaimed, "That's what you do with everyone else."

"_What?" _His eyes were wide, dumbfounded, "What the hell are you talking about?"

"Oh my God, don't do this. Girls talk. Everyone knows what you and Mina did last year, and Kelleigh, even though she was a year older than you...which was kind of disgusting on her part, but no one was surprised..."

"I never slept with Mina. Or Kelleigh." he looked thoroughly uncomfortable.

"Really, because they were both under that impression," she looked at him disgustedly.

"I wouldn't be surprised if they said it. I mean, who wouldn't want to claim that they had _this?_" And for a moment he was the same conceited Sirius Black that he had always been.

"Oh you are so _nauseating_!"

"Sam," he looked even more put out and she saw the tiniest bit of red light his cheeks, "I never slept with them. I...I'm, well, a virgin."

"Excuse me?" her eyebrows shot up with this. He was lying. He had to be. Kelleigh had been a slut and Mina was Mina, but they wouldn't have lied...would they have? Sam stared at Sirius. Who _wouldn't _want to claim him? He had a horribly relevant point.

"How many different ways can you interpret that?" he asked looking embarrassed.

"You're lying," she said simply.

"No, I'm not," he argued fairly, "I mean, I've had a lot of girlfriends and, well, just girls in general...and it's not as if I haven't come close, I did. But I never did it."

"So you're a womanizing virgin," Sam said and Sirius frowned instantly, "That's bloody fantastic."

"Who doesn't _trust_ in this relationship now?" he demanded.

"You have to be lying," Sam said, her head feeling as if it were spinning. This statement from him contradicted everything she had ever accepted as true about Sirius Black: it was the reason for his attitude, his stupid little snide remarks-"But you had played that game before," she argued lamely.

"Nervous? Sam, come_ on_. _Lily_'s played that before, James has, _you have,_" he looked at her with wide eyes and she knew what was coming next, "Are _you_ a virgin?"

"It depends on what your definition of virgin is," she stalled. What the hell was she saying? She was talking like a crazy person and now he probably thought she really was insane.

"Well, love, let me see here. _Have you ever been laid_?" he asked, eyebrows raised.

"Well then, yes," she said, knowing she was blushing profusely by now, "_If you must know. I'm a virgin_."

"Well then, I don't see why I couldn't be," he deduced fairly, but she didn't want to hear it.

"Because_ you_ are _you_ and _I _am... _not you_," Sam tried to explain. He looked bemused and she knew she wasn't doing a very good job at all, "You know what? I'm sorry I even came down. It isn't that big a deal if I don't believe you," she said, knowing that it was in fact, the exact same thing for which she was angry with him.

"No! You are such a hypocrite," he accused and she cringed at the word, but wasn't giving in.

"And you're a liar," she retorted, "You knew what people thought but you let it go on unrectified. That's as bad as telling it yourself as far as I'm concerned."

"You're being unreasonable," he returned, and she knew he was right. How far had she fallen to be called unreasonable by bloody Sirius Black? It was a low she didn't want to experience twice, so she stopped talking, "Did I want you in every single way possible? Yes. I have for a while and I still do. It drives me insane. So I was upset when James touched you, not because I didn't trust you, Sam. It's because I wanted to be the one to do that. It was just...just whenever I asked or made a move, you shied away."

Bloody hell, so he had noticed. She had thought she was being discreet, clever even, about coming up with excuses. She looked down at the floor, completely chastised. Silence fell once more. Then:

"Holy shit," he said in a tone that made her look up. When she met his eyes, she knew that he had guessed, that he now understood why she had 'shied away', "You thought that I was going to sleep with you and then break up with you."

His voice was an accusing one, but it also seemed as though he actually understood where she was coming from. She looked back down at the floor, holding fast to her resolve to stop talking.

"_Didn't _you?" he pressed.

"Maybe," she said in a voice that sounded horribly childish even in her own biased ears.

"Jesus, why the hell are you still talking to me then?" he asked, "If you thought I was just playing you this entire time?"

_Dammit_, he had particularly good thinking and reasoning abilities late at night. She was lagging behind, she was tired, and she _really_ wished she had stayed upstairs. It was an excellent question. She hadn't really thought about it. She swallowed and looked up at thim, knowing that he deserved an answer, even if she didn't know what it was.

"I'm sorry."

That was all that she could manage. He looked at her for a long time and she held his gaze, loving every moment that she was allowed to meet his beautiful eyes. But it was getting late, and they weren't really getting anywhere…just like any other time.

"Me too," he said finally, and she knew that was it, that there was nothing else to say, no matter what she herself felt. She felt her head nod and she stood up, turning to look at the hypnotizing fire for just a second longer. He stood up too, waiting, she supposed, for her to decide whether or not she was going or staying. Then she stepped lightly by him, holding her breath so she wouldn't have to breathe him in, and just as she was about to cross over from the fire's glowing barrier, "I should have told you earlier…"

She stopped without looking back, not really knowing what to say next.

"I don't really think you're a liar, Sirius Black," her mouth spoke before her brain really comprehended the choice to speak, interrupting whatever he had been about to express, "I believe you, I always have," she decided upon adding, finally turning around. He was staring at her. He had been doing that quite often tonight. She leaned against the rail, seeing her own face go in and out of shadow from her periphery.

"Good night, Samantha Tchaikovsky," he said to her, smiling.

"Good night," she said, "Womanizing Virgin," she added before she turned around and one foot was in the black of the common room.

"Shut up," he said, turning around. He ran into the chair with a particularly loud smack as his shin made contact with the wood, and he swore loudly. She thought of making a comment, but the karma was already so evident that she didn't.

She thought she heard him open his mouth to say something else, but he didn't. She felt the light of the fire slide off of her and she ascended the stairs, back to an exceptionally unproductive night of sleep.

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"I can't do it," Lily moaned, standing outside of the Great Hall. It was morning. It was their second-to-last-day _ever_. It was N.E.W.T.s.

"Lily, I cannot do this right now," Sam explained. Lily looked up at her. Sam looked exhausted. Lily supposed she had been up all night after the Boggart and she felt slightly guilty for not being there for her. However, the only way _she_ had been able to find sleep was in James' arms. But Sam had been left alone to fend off whatever nightmarish happenings came for her, "Thus, we are going in, and that will be the end of it. You are brilliant, you are Lily Evans, and you got a wonderful night's sleep," she added in what Lily could best describe as an embittered clenching of teeth.

Sam took Lily's arm firmly and began towing her towards the doors. Lily found it physically difficult to convince her legs to work, but she finally did so, and was able to find her seat almost on her own. The Great Hall had been cleared of the house tables, the hanging banners had been removed, and almost a hundred desks had been arranged in rows calculated to the precise range where traditional cheating could not take place. Sam pulled her down the rows to very near the back of the Hall and sat down in one of the desks. Lily took the seat behind her.

"Didn't you sleep well?" Lily decided to ask when Sam turned around in her chair and rested her head on Lily's desk. Her brown eyes closed as she shook her head. Lily stared at Sam who had stopped shaking her head very suddenly, and Lily worried she may have fallen asleep.

Her uniform was askew, her vest missing entirely, her skirt was on but her shirt was untucked, unbuttoned three holes down, her socks were slipping down to her ankles. But she couldn't help smiling as she saw the brooch that Sam had remembered, even though she had forgotten her tie. It was, Lily knew, her good luck charm. She had it for every test. After three brassy chain links were two blue enamel concentric circles, one on the outside said Москва Россия, the other side read Moscow, Russia. In the centre circle was a tiny painted picture of St. Basil's cathedral, where Lily also knew Sam had been christened. It had been pinned with exceptional precision, and Lily thought it was a wonder that she had even remembered.

Lily had taken neurotic care dressing herself this morning, choosing her nicest white shirt and rolling the sleeves up to exactly the same cuff length and width, straightening every pleat in her skirt, tying the tightest knot possible on her tie and pulling off every pilled fiber on her vest. The elastic of her socks was taught over her legs. Her hair had been pulled out of her eyes by a golden ribbon but she was still waiting for her good luck charm.

"Nightmares?" Lily inquired farther and Sam, who was obviously not asleep, shrugged.

"At first," she said, propping her head up by her arm.

"Well, then what?"

"_Then_, Lily dearest, I went downstairs to see if I could get to sleep near the fire."

"That's a good idea—"

"Except that there was already someone there." Sam said in a strange tone and Lily didn't have to guess who had been in Sam's spot.

"Did you two get into it?" she sighed.

"'Get into it?'" Sam pronounced each syllable with care and inflection.

"What happened?" Lily asked, looking concerned. From the corner of her eye she spotted James, Sirius and Remus all entering the Great Hall. James caught her eye and began sifting through the desks to sit near her.

"Oh nothing. The usual," Sam began vaguely, "You know, we exchanged pleasantries—"

"Insults," Lily supposed wearily.

"And I yelled at him for not trusting me and he yelled at me for not trusting him."

"I don't know what to do with either of you—"

"And then we both wound up professing our virgin statii."

Lily felt her jaw drop, "_What?"_

But Sam had turned around very suddenly and when Lily looked up, the Marauders were depositing themselves in their desks.

"Hey," said James, leaning in and kissing her, "What's going on?"

"Nothing," Lily said, looking at the back of Sam's head.

"Good morning, Evans, Ave Maria," Sirius sat down without catching either girls' eyes and to Sam's credit she didn't even turn to entertain him.

"You alright, Nutcracker?" James asked of Sam, who turned around with the largest, fakest smile on her face that Lily had ever seen. She saw Sirius sneak a look at Sam.

"I am wonderful, James, how are you?"

"Fine…" James seemed cautious and Lily could have laughed but she held it in.

"You…you've looked better," Lupin offered and Lily recognized it was merely an expansion in their very honest friendship.

"Oh have I?" Sam looked confused.

"You look…tired," James tried to name the exhausted-to-a-point-of-madness glint in Sam's eyes.

"I would dare say I am, James," she said, never losing her smile.

"You look crazy," Sirius spoke and instantly Sam's smile evaporated.

"You're insane," she snapped.

"No, _you're _crazy," Sirius argued back, a bit childishly. Lily thought about what Sam had said as she looked at Sirius. She had said that they had both told each other they were still a virgin. Bloody hell, Lily wondered how they had managed to veer _that _far off of the desired discussion path of a barely-sane romantic relationship to territory that almost everyone hoped they would never have to deal with. Lily had known about Sam—of course—but _Sirius?_ _Really?_ She had seen him in the common room with _countless _girls, snogging, touching, feeling, but she supposed there was still that remote chance that he hadn't lost his virginity. Even in her mind, Lily put a very large emphasis on 'remote chance.'

"Students you are allowed your quills and ink on your desks, nothing else," Kaelyn was standing at the front of the Hall in amber coloured robes, pheasant feathers in her matching hat. Lily turned around immediately, but not before she smiled at James and he winked at her. _God_ she loved him so much. She knew she would be seeing him after graduation, but she couldn't help feeling that they only had two more days officially together.

Sam had turned huffily away from Sirius and was now arranging her quills on her desk in descending order of length. She could become quite fastidious about her organization during tests, just like Lily.

"There is no talking permitted, no notes, no wands, no magic, no potions, no magical plants, no magical fungi, no magical creatures, no Remembralls—" Kaelyn stopped at what appeared to be not even a quarter of the way through a list of things that were not allowed, "—If I find you with anything that I deem unworthy of this Hall, I will throw you, your violating object as well as your test out of this hall and you shall receive a T. For Troll," she added with a smirk. Some students laughed, all knew very well that if Kaelyn caught them cheating, they were out.

"The Transfiguration portion of the Tests begins now. If you are not taking the Transfiguration portion, we ask you to leave," Kaelyn looked around the room, "After you have finished your test, you are asked to remain in your seat, to keep your noise level to an absolute minimum and to continue refraining from usage of magical objects. _Do you all understand?_"

Everyone looked around, then back down at their desks.

"You have two and a half hours and they begin…_now._" Kaelyn waved her wand at which time a few things happened simultaneously. An exam appeared on each of their desks, an hourglass appeared at the front of the room and turned over, supposedly timing two and a half hours.

Lily flipped over her test to the back page. One hundred questions. She would be able to miss five to pass with an O, ten to pass with an E. One hundred questions also meant that she would have…one and a half minutes to complete each question. She flipped to the front of the exam and read:

_Under what circumstances was the first Lapifors spell used? _

Lily didn't miss a beat and circled '_in the year 23, during the battle of Plat'_ right under _'in the year 17, after the battle of Yill.' _It had taken her less than ten seconds.

_2. Explain how the second Principal Exceptions to Gamp's Laws of Transfiguration applied to Norosis the Nasty's studies in transfiguration._

And so it continued for almost an hour, when Lily turned the last page of the exam to a gloriously blank sheet of paper. She was done. And she was fairly sure that she had managed an O. Actually, she felt very confident about her score, as she was unable to find a single question on which she was unsure. She resisted the urge to sneak a look at James or anyone else and just set her quill down next to her page, stared forward at the front of the Hall. Kaelyn caught her eye and smiled, then winked. Lily managed a smile in return, as the queasy feeling in her stomach was receding considerably. She had charms, potions, and DADA left to take, but it was going to be alright.

It was only about five minutes after that Sam also set her quill down and reached behind her chair in a fake stretch, during which she gave Lily a thumbs up. Lily felt a sense of relief—also a bit of pride—that Sirius hadn't been able to meddle with Sam's mind enough to affect her test.

Lily tore out the back sheet of her test, dipped her quill in her ink and scratched the word SPEECH at the top of the page. She had thought about her commencement speech a bit last night—dreamt about it some—but it was nowhere close to finished. She still had to talk to James about whether or not they wanted to speak on the same topic or differing ones, etc. All she really knew was that she wanted to talk about the hard times ahead, because even if it wasn't uplifting, it was realistic, and about making decisions to join sides, fight the good fight…

A piece of neatly folded paper landed on her desk. She looked up to make sure Kaelyn hadn't seen—she hadn't—then pulled the note apart.

'_Anyway…you were saying before we were interrupted by?'_ here Sam had drawn an arrow so that it pointed to Sirius.

Of course she had been saying something. What Sam had found out last night was very big news. _Do you think he's lying? Either way I'm sorry you had to go through that. _Lily refolded the note and tossed it artfully over Sam's shoulder so that it landed directly in her lap. She chanced a look at James. He was finished with his test as well and had been staring at her. She smiled and he returned it. Then he turned and ripped the back sheet off of his test as well. He wrote a short message then, with all the skill of a Seeker, delivered it to her.

_What happened with Nutcracker and Padfoot? By the way, you look really pretty when you're thinking. _

Lily flushed then penned him back a note: _Um, well, Sirius told Sam he was a virgin. And thank you. You don't look so bad yourself._

She tossed it back just as Sam's note landed on her desk.

"Bloody hell," James exclaimed in a poorly controlled voice as he read her reply.

"Is everything all right, Mr. Potter?"

"This is a difficult test, ma'am," James responded without missing a beat as Kaelyn looked up at him suspiciously.

"I've heard them called nastily exhausting. Silence please," Kaelyn's voice was dry. James just nodded then put his head back to his paper. Lily opened Sam's note.

_I believe him. _She had written simply, _and don't worry about it. Lils, I don't know why he makes me so mad! _There was a blot on the page where Sam's frustration had been translated to her quill, _but, well, I'm scared that I'm not going to get to see him again after tomorrow._

Aw, that was so cute! Lily smiled to herself as James' note came soaring back to her. She replied to Sam first. _He makes you mad because you're in love with him. And that's why you're scared. _Lily wrote back, knowing that it was very true. She tossed back the note, knowing that Sam wasn't going to be fond of what it said, but she would also know it was right. She unfolded James' note.

_Holy hell. I'm going to talk to him. _Lily looked up and saw that James was indeed throwing another note to Sirius who caught it, opened it and read it, _See, he's wanted to say 'something' to Sam for a while now, I guess, and he's just too much of a thick git to say it._

Lily felt an actual swelling sensation. Sirius loved Sam back! It was too wonderful for words. But the fact that he had wound up talking about his virginity—she was still skeptical on the validity of that point—instead of just telling Sam how he felt, was reason to worry.

_I won't say anything to her. _Lily scribbled back, wanting to tell James about Sam's feelings for Sirius, but they were constantly under the girl pact not to tell such secrets, even if it was to their boyfriends. _But it might be rather nice if he told her. _She underlined the word 'rather' then threw it back. It landed at the same time as Sirius' note came to James' desk. Sam's note to Lily was only a few seconds behind. When she unfolded it, there were only two, lonely words written on the page.

_I know. _

Lily smiled to the paper and the back of Sam's head, then drew a heart with the initials S.T. and S.B. in the middle. She tossed it back just as another note came to her. It was a new strain of note, crinkled and ripped crookedly. She unfolded it and saw Sirius' handwriting.

_She told you?_

_Yes, _Lily wrote back, _she didn't sleep well thanks to all that. _She tossed it to Sirius, as he finished his note to James and Sam gave their note back to Lily.

_Shut up. I don't need that sort of thing as tangible evidence._

_Alright. Sorry. _

She threw it back to Sam, being careful not to mix it up with both Sirius' and James' notes that had been delivered. She opened Sirius' first.

_Neither did I. Is she mad?_

How would she answer this? She pondered a moment then wrote the safest answer she could think of: _No, not really. She would still talk to you._ She hoped to give him a hint and threw it back. Next came James'.

_Yeah, I know it would. Don't worry about it. How's your speech going?_

_Alright, _she scribbled back, _Yours? _

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James turned his N.E.W.T. over and turned in his seat to look at Lily. She was still scribbling away at her test. She was so beautiful.

His test had been exceptionally easy—as it had been every year for he and his fellow Marauders. He had admittedly worried for about two and a half minutes this morning, that maybe they'd be able to make a test that would actually trip them up, but as soon as he had walked into the Great Hall and had seen Lily, he knew he'd be able to get through any question.

Lily put down her quill and looked up at Kaelyn, who winked at her. Then Lily pulled off the back blank page of her test and began writing on it. With a skillful crane of the neck, he saw that she was working on her speech. She was so ridiculous sometimes. She had the ability to write award-winning speeches in fifteen minutes and yet she was fixated on spending the next two days creating the best speech Hogwarts had ever heard. And he was confident she would, too.

Sam finished her test and performed a very artful stretch-hand-signal kind of move to inform Lily that everything had gone well. James had the feeling that for as long as the Marauders had known how to side step the rules of this place, Sam and Lily had been doing it just as well, and just as long, if not better and for longer.

As he watched the duo, Sam casually tossed a note to Lily. James had the very strong urge to get the note and see what it said: he had had the same urge with every note he had seen passed between those two.

Lily's face changed immediately as she read Sam's note and wrote something back quickly then returned it. There was something going on with Sam, she looked like hell when they had come in…just like Padfoot. Of course it was between Padfoot and Sam. From what he could glean, James knew that Sirius hadn't told Sam that he loved her yet. And when Padfoot had come up to the dormitory at five in the morning looking as though he hadn't slept all night, James had a feeling it was Sam-related.

Lily looked over at him and he smiled, she returned it. He tore the back page off of his own test and wrote his own note to Lily.

_What happened with Nutcracker and Padfoot? By the way, you look really pretty when you're thinking. _

Lily caught the note that he threw, opened it, and blushed as she read it, her mouth smiling. He smiled too, even though she really wasn't smiling at him. She wrote something back and threw it to him, caught Sam's note on the way back. He unfolded it and read: _Um, well, Sirius told Sam he was a virgin. And thank you. You don't look so bad yourself._

"Bloody hell," James couldn't help but speak aloud. What the hell was Padfoot about? And more importantly, why the _hell_ would he talk about that with Sam? It was a three-word phrase. It was effortless...at least, it was with he and Lily.

"Is everything all right, Mr. Potter?" Kaelyn looked at him with her falcon eyes, sharp and ready to turn anyone out for disturbance.

"This is a difficult test, ma'am," James responded, looking at her with the widest eyes he could manage.

"I've heard them called nastily exhausting. Silence please," Kaelyn's voice was humorless, but her eyes almost seemed to smile. He nodded to her then put his quill to the page: _Holy hell. I'm going to talk to him. See, he's wanted to say 'something' to Sam for a while now, I guess, and he's just too much of a thick git to say it. _He wrote back bitterly, threw the note back then turned his attention to Sirius. He was finished with his test as well, they all were. He could hear Lupin snoring behind him. He had had a rough night as well, breaking up with Mina, James actually thought that Sirius had had a point about Mina wanting revenge on Lupin.

James ripped a corner off of his page and put his quill to the parchment: _Man, just tell her. You're killing me. And her. _

He tossed the note to Sirius who jumped as the paper landed on his desk. He picked it up carefully and read it, then wrote back. Lily's note came back first: _I won't say anything to her, but it might be rather nice if he told her. _She had underlined the word 'rather' and James could feel Lily's protectiveness of Sam in her writing.

_Yes, I know it would. How's your speech going?_ James wrote back, but before he could toss it to Lily, Sirius' reply came back.

_How the hell'd you find out? Never mind. Evans. _That was all he had written. Had he just ignored the part about telling Sam how he felt?

_Write her a note,_ James suggested, throwing Sirius' note back, followed by Lily's, just as a third note was added to the mix. It was Sam's handwriting.

_Hey. What's up with Sirius? _Was all that she had written. What _was_ up with Sirius? That was an excellent question. 'Well, Sam, he wants to tell you that he loves you, but he's choking every damned time because he's a git.' No, that wouldn't work.

_End of year stress_, James wrote back, feeling the Marauder-like need to cover for Sirius' behavior, then made the angular toss to Sam's desk. She opened the note and shook her head, put her quill of the parchment. Sirius' note came back first.

_Samantha Tchaikovsky, I love you. Why didn't I think of this on my own?…because it's bloody stupid you brainless git. _Obviously he didn't like that idea, James surmised with a smirk before writing back.

_See, that wasn't so hard. Now just give this to her. _He threw it back. Lily tossed their note back to him.

_Alright, yours? _How was his speech going? Fine, he supposed. He would probably make it up when he got up there. That sounded like a plan. Lily might not have liked it though and even though he loved her, he couldn't think of a more useless way to spend his precious time with her than by writing speeches.

_Okay, _was the only word he could manage. He threw it back. Sam's and Sirius' notes came back at the same time.

_Like hell it is,_ Sam had written, _That's fine, you cover for him. When are you asking Lily? _ Leave it to Sam to bring that up. He had no idea when he was asking Lily. Hopefully tomorrow, right before they went down for the ceremony…at least that was the plan. Of course, if she said no, or had to think about it—both scenarios had the strange ability to cause him to consider different forms of self-torture—then she might not enjoy the ceremony. But if she said yes then not only would he be able to introduce her as his fiancée to his parents, to everyone, but then he would know that she would be safe, that she was his forever.

_Tomorrow. Please don't say anything to her. _

He folded that parchment up, then picked up Sirius' reply: _NOT. BY. NOTE. What the hell am I, a POET? _

_You can be whatever the hell you want, just tell her. _He folded the second note up too, but left them both for later delivery as Lily's note came back: _Sounds good. Can't wait to get out of here. _

_You and me both,_ James scratched back, tossed the note back to her, and was hit with the realization of just how gentle his note to her was compared to Sirius'. He tossed back the folded parchment to Sirius, the other one to Sam.

Sirius' note came back first. Under the phrase: _Tomorrow. Please don't say anything to her, _he had written a very classy response: _What the hell? _

Bloody hell, he had switched the notes. Only a second later, Sirius had the same realization and turned thirty degrees in his seat to look at Sam's desk. His note sat there, untouched still, as Sam was writing back to Lily.

"Sam," James tried to hiss in her direction. Kaelyn's eyes snapped up and found his guilty ones.

"Silence Mr. Potter," she ordered and he shut his mouth. Sam was folding Lily's note back up, unaware that on her desk sat Sirius' proclamation of love to her, unaware that James was trying to get her attention, and they were both unaware that Sirius was taking matters into his own hands.

Sam picked up the note and began unfolding it. Time actually did seem to slow and James knew it was only a matter of seconds before all hope was lost.

"Incendio."

James heard Sirius' voice mutter the incantation, saw his wand extended towards what was perhaps the most incriminating note that the world had ever seen, saw the note catch on fire.

"Bloody hell!" Sam yelled, throwing the fireball onto the desk and snuffing it out with her own quick wand.

"What is going on back there?" Kaelyn was making her way down their row very quickly and Lily and James moved both of their notes within their robes, "Fire, Miss Tchaikovsky? Wands Mr. Black? _Notes_ Miss Evans and Mr. Potter? Get out. All of you," she pointed towards the door, looking furious as she took their completed tests and marching to the front of the room again.

None of them needed telling twice. Thoroughly chastised and bitter, each gathered up their belongings and headed out of the hall, Sam first, at a rather rapid pace, followed closely by Lily, then Sirius, who was looking both mortified and terrified, and James brought up the rear.

"You gave her the note," Sirius managed to speak as they hit the entrance and followed the two girls out onto the stairs outside.

"I'm so sorry, mate, I got them mixed up. There were so many," James trailed off, feeling truly horrible.

"Did she see it? Did she read?" Sirius asked anxiously, untying his tie and throwing it aside, undoing two of his shirt buttons while he was at it. It was exceptionally warm out in this bit of May. The sun was high, the grounds were cleared, all of the students were involved in exams. The water of the moat was clear and reflective of the sky. Lily and Sam were standing on the second-to-last stair.

"No," James said emphatically, "You know, that may have had something to do with the fact that you—"

"You burnt my hand, you _arse!_" Sam looked up at Sirius with something that could very fairly be described as a murderous expression.

"Are you okay?" Sirius asked, looking genuinely concerned. Of course he was, this was a matter of Sam's well-being.

"_No I am not okay! _What is _wrong with your mind?_" She took a step towards them and though she and Lily were a couple of dozen yards away, Sirius took a step back.

"Sam," Lily attempted to placate her.

"_Fire?"_ Sam demanded, "You caught my paper on _fire?" _

James snuck a look at Sirius whose face was completely unreadable as he stared at Sam, who James had never seen so infuriated. She actually looked terrifying with her wrinkled clothes, askew socks, dark rings around her eyes and her especially curly hair blowing in the breeze. She looked possessed.

"Don't you have an explanation?" Sam challenged. Lily took a step back and put her forehead in her hand, knowing that there was absolutely nothing she could do at this point. This was completely between them. Sirius remained silent, "Oh ho! Nothing to say? I'm so _surprised_ Sirius Black!" Sam began laughing, but Sirius snapped. James could see it in his eyes.

"You want an explanation, Sam?" he asked, voice raised. Sam threw back her shoulders and they faced each other.

"_Yes_, that would be preferable," Sam still looked a bit demented.

"Well—"

James could actually see Sirius choke.

"Well! _Well_! What a wonderful explanation. That clears everything up. I am so bloody happy that we had this little chit-chat, Sirius. Now, next time you set my page on fire, I'll know it's because, what is it? Well. A hell of a lot of sense that makes you brainless, thoughtless, stupid, imbecilic, moronic—"

"If you would shut up long enough to let me explain!" Sirius bellowed down the stairs and Sam actually did close her mouth, but she was fuming. Lily threw her arms into the air in exasperation, clearly unimpressed by Sam's poor ability-actually, _both_ of their best mates' inabilities to convey feelings very well. Except for hate. They were doing quite well at that.

"I'm listening," Sam's voice was very quiet, but James felt positive that it had the ability to carry for miles.

"I—"

Another failure and Sam's eyes flashed.

"'Well I'. We've almost formed an entire sentence ladies and gentlemen! I can't wait to hear—"

"Shut up, just shut up. I'm sorry I burnt your hand, alright? You're being a complete ass right now, though," Sirius obviously couldn't help but add.

Ass? That was a far cry from love, James thought. In fact, there were few things lower. Sam, who seemed to have reached her anger capacity a few minutes ago, didn't seem to become angrier. She ascended the stairs so quickly and effortlessly that James wondered if she hadn't been there for the entire argument.

_"_And _now _we have a complete sentence," Sam's mouth turned up in the most ironic smile James had ever seen, "_Screw you, Sirius Black,"_ she said. There was no physical punishment, no further insults, though James was fairly sure she had covered them all, just a two word phrase that neatly summed up everything that really needed to be said. Then she was gone, disappeared into the castle, only the remnants of her muttered Russian phrases.

"Ass? Black, really?" Lily looked furiously at Sirius.

"Did you_ hear_ everything she said to me?" Sirius argued as if he were five. James could hear him whining 'she started it', "I don't need to hear this from you, Evans. Just go after her and-"

"No!" Lily yelled, "I'm so _sick_ of both of you! Find a way to make her feel better yourself!" Lily added, turning around and marching out onto the lawn, collapsing onto the ground beneath one of the large oak trees. James took one look at Sirius, who was in the middle of punching the stone wall of the castle, then followed Lily down to the lawn.

"Damn it!" he heard Sirius swear as his knuckles began to bleed from the force and craggled rock. James sat next to Lily, who had her head against her knees as Sirius walked back into the castle. He wrapped his arm around Lily's shoulders and held her close to him until she lifted her head up.

"I can't believe those two," she said quietly.

"They certainly are the perfect match for each other," James nodded and Lily gave a tiny sputter of a laugh, "most sadistic couple in the world," he added and she nodded as she rested her head against his shoulder. He reached behind her and ran his hand down her hair.

"I love you, James," she said in an even quieter voice, "I don't know how-how often we'll see each other after tomorrow, hopefully frequently," she added and his heart soared, "but if we don't, well, even if we do, I want you to know that I love you."

He wanted to do so much in the single second that followed this. He wanted to kiss her, he wanted to hug her, he wanted to tell her how much he loved her back, he wanted to give her the ring that he had picked out for her and ask her to be with him forever, but it couldn't all fit neatly into that time. So he said: "What brought that on?" with a nervous laugh at the end. She didn't seem to notice.

"Watching them," she said, nodding towards the castle, "It just makes me thankful that I have you."

"I love you, too," he said, but it wasn't enough. He tilted up her chin and kissed her softly on the mouth, keeping his eyes open to watch her lashes beat her cheeks as they closed over her beautiful eyes, watching the small freckles on her nose move in and out of the sunlight and shade from the tree, all the time arming himself with the resolve that, tomorrow, come hell or high water, he would propose to this beautiful girl.

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Sam lay on the couch with one arm crossed over her face, her head facing into the cushions. They had just returned to the common room after dinner, after N.E.W.T.s. She hadn't been particularly hungry, but now her stomach was growling. Her brain was exhausted from the academic marathon that it had run, her body was exhausted from the sheer effort of staring awake for more than twenty-four hours, and yet she wasn't ready to go to sleep. Her mind and senses were just as heightened as they had been this morning after her shouting match with Sirius.

It was odd. They weren't broken up, she didn't want to break up, but still, their conversation earlier was what anyone would consider to be legitimate break-up material. She realised that she had practically lost her mind, but even now she figured she had reason: he had set fire to a paper she was holding during N.E.W.T.s. Truth really was stranger than fiction, wasn't it? She honestly didn't think that she would have been able to invent a more ludicrous series of events if she had had a week to think on it.

And she was fairly sure she knew the reason behind his idiotic behaviour, although it didnt condone it: James had passed her the wrong note, and whatever conversation he had beeen carrying on with Sirius had been unwillingly passed to her. Truthfully, it had been eating at her the entire day of what could have been written on that parchment that had been important enough to risk eviction from N.E.W.T.s.

In her personal opinion, nothing was so important, but it wouldn't have been the first time that Sirius' judging abilities would be qualified as questionable.

When Kaelyn had tossed them out-and mercifully been benevolent enough of a dictator to allow them to finish their remaing N.E.W.T.s, which had been simple-Sam's head had been spinning and to be honest, her hand was burning from the firey note. She had hit the ground running, right out of the  
Great Hall and out onto the entrance stairs in the sun. She had hoped that the fresh air might calm her down, as she felt all of her control slipping under both stress and lack of sleep, and it _did _start to soothe her. But when she had turned around, the sight of Sirius, damned Sirius who had the audacity to continue looking as sexy as ever with his unbuttoned shirt after what he had done, sent her over the edge.

And though the burning of her hand had subsided by the third N.E.W.T., her head hand't stopped spinning. Even her arm attempting to hold it still couldn't seem to do the trick.

"So what did you put on question forty-six for potions?" Lily asked.

"B," James responded, "About the stewing period of Veritiserum?"

Lily nodded, "Me too."

She had been listening to those two share questions and answers and kisses and compliments for the past half and hour, and as much as she loved them both, she wasn't at all in the was in the mood for Quidditch though, for letting her mind go to the simple yet wonderfully complicated task of flying and shooting.

"I'm going down to the Pitch," she announced, standing up, feeling a little light-headed as she did so.

"The Quidditch Pitch?" Lily clarified. Sam nodded on her way to the stairs, "Sam, it's late. It's dark," Lily tried to dissuade her.

"I'll be fine in the dark," Sam promised, very happy that Sirius was conspicuously absent, as she was confident that he would have had something to say- he always did. Lily argued no more and Sam took the stairs two at a time before her friend could think of something else to say.

In their dormitory, Sam put on her navy blue athletic pants, her pajama shirt and a zippered, red, white, and blue jacket with the British flag on the back. She loved the jacket and had brought it to school from home two years ago. The same summer that she had bought it, her mother had sewn a patch of the Russian flag to the inside. She touched it lightly as she put it on, follwed by her sneakers.

It felt so good just to be out of her uniform and in the Muggle clothes that she had always had, that when she tied back her hair and exited the dormitory agin, she was fairly skipping down the stairs.

"C'mon," Lily was standing up with her school cloak around her shoulders, "I'm coming down with you," she announced, "You can fly and I'll work on my speech. You can help," she added hopefully. For the first time that day, Sam managed a smile.

"Thanks," she said to both of them. James shrugged, smiling back. Sam knew he was giving up an eveing with Lily so that she could be with her, and she appreciated it.

"Let's go," Lily took Sam's arm and led her out of the portrait hole, down the stairs and out on to the lawn. They were quiet all the way to the Pitch, where Sam broke ranks to the supply shed, took out a broom and a Quaffle. When she returned to the interior, the Pitch was lit by its eerie yet comforting magical glow that had been somehow installed to allow for evening practises. Lily was sitting on the players' bench, her quill already scratching away on her parchment.

"How's it going?" Sam asked, tossing up the Quaffle and catching it once before mounting her broom and pushing off. The air around her was slightly warm with upcoming summer heat and still cool with spring's grasp, and it cleared her mind.

"Fine," Lily said, not looking up from the page. Sam sped off down field, shot the Quaffle and it sailed through the unguarded post. Following her shot, she caught the red leather ball again easily and took off to the other end of the pitch, "How does 'choices to dictate the rest of our lives' sound?" Lily yelled up as Sam caught her own third shot

"Um, powerful?"

"Good," Lily answered, "Thank you!"

Sam smiled again, feeling her attitude bubble closer towards happiness each time she did so. It continued for another glorious fifteen minutes, Lily stopping her once.

"What was that saying your mum always told you?"

Oh Jesus, her parents were always spouting off Russian proverbs, "Which one?"

"I'm not sure," Lily admitted.

"Um, there was..." she translated it quickly in her head, "'If you're afraid of wolves, don't go to the woods'," she offered, "and then 'take hold of it together, it won't feel heavy'?"

"That was it," Lily said to the latter, "I like the first one too, though." They both laughed. In thirteen more shots, Lily stood up, "Well, I think that's it!"

Sam paused mid-flight and descended so that she was hovering only a few feet above the ground.

"Can I hear it?" she inquired.

"Tomorrow," Lily promised, rolling up her parchment and stowing her quill. She propped her fist on her hip and looked up at Sam, "You feeling any better?"

"Yeah, I think so," Sam admitted, smiling.

"Good. I will see you tomorrow then?"

"Yes."

"Alright, don't stay up late," Lily said.

"Yes ma'am," Sam laughed and Lily turned around, disappearing through the exit, up towards the castle. Sam took a deep breath and flew straight up, shooting higher into the sky. Flying was just so-liberating! She gave herself up completely to the task at hand and dove back down, angling towards the hoops, shooting from a hundred yards out. The Quaffle scored through the centre hoop and she caught it just before it touched the ground. She stored it in the crook of her arm and then took off to the other end, trying a higher shot from a hundred and fifty yards out. She saw it wasn't going to make it, and the Quaffle hit the ground.

"Damn," she said in just slight disappointment, taking off towards the ground. Her feet met the dirt and she stumbled a bit upon impact, but righted herself to stand up. Right in front of Sirius Black. Who was holding her dropped Quaffle.

She felt her smile bubbles popping quickly.

How long had he been standing there? She hadn't noticed him while she was flying...had Lily known he was there? It didn't matter, she had to deal with him now. Civilly. She took a deep breath and stared at him evenly, holding out her hand and pursing her lips.

"I love you," Sirius said in the most conversational tone she had ever heard, tossing the Quaffle back to her. She caught it-barely.

"What?" her voice was so quiet, so stunned, it was nearly impossile to hear. He shoved his hands in his pockets.

"I've been trying to tell you, well, for a while now, but, I dunno..." he took one of his hands out of his pocket and rubbed the back of his neck, "I guess I couldn't tell you...for some reason...I was nervous...you'r really pretty...I couldn't figure out how to tell you, so...and I'm sorry for what I've been saying recently, because, I dunno...I was, I'm not even sure..."

He was stuttering, he looked absolutely ill, and she had never gound him more attractive. She could only think of one thing to say back: "I love you too," she said, gripping the Quaffle tightly, "And I'm sorry, too. I didn't mean anything I said I was just really upset about, you know, the fire," it all seemed trivial now, unimportant.

"Yeah, I'm sorry about...fire..." his face was sheepish. She nodded and took two steps towards him, "It was stupid...I wasn't thinking..."

She nodded again, smiling finally, which seemed to remid him that he was allowed to smile, too. She tossed the Quaffle aside and he pulled her towards him. She wrapped her arms around his neck, burying her face into his shoulder. He hugged her tightly, pulling her up to his height. She laughed a little as her feet lost contact with the ground, her head completely fuzzy with the euphoria that was flooding her.


	26. Near the Podium

_Still don't own any characters that you recognise-except Samantha Tchaikovsky, you might start recognising her now…I hope…*long silence* (I know some of you are like "uh, Tchaikovsky?" Yeah, I'm onto you.)_

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_Alright, so the new contest is this: I have a number of review in my head, and whoever is that number review gets to be Remus' date to the wedding. A little cameo appearance, I hope you don't mind. I personally wanted to bring Jamie back, but oh well._

_Um, so, this is going to be the last chapter for a while. I'm going to take a short break. Nothing huge, just a break from this story. I have some other work that needs attention, and, to be frank, I have been spending way too much time with this story (it probably has something to do with the fact that I have a huge crush on my whole story, but I digress). I will probably, in all honesty, break this promise and post something, but I don't want anyone expecting that to happen, so I thought a fair warning was in order. Please don't think I'm selfish or anything, I just need to take some time off. _

_Now, some of you might be rather angry with the way that this ends, combined with the fact that I said I'm taking a break. I understand and I'm really sorry. But as always, I hope you like the chapter, even if you're slightly bitter towards me, you should take out your anger/bitterness in the form of a hostile review! Or a kind review! Or get other people to read this story and send me angry reviews too! Ha ha…nervous laugh… _

_I guess the words I will leave you with are these: I solemnly swear that even though prospects are bleak, everything will sort out, and this story will have an ending which we can all accept civilly and perhaps even happily._

_Love always and forever,_

_Fae _

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**Near the Podium**

"James, wake up," Lily put her arm on James' shoulder and shook it gently. It was six o'clock in the morning on their last day..._ever_. Lily herself had been awakened by a very tired looking house elf that had been wearing a dress made out of a blue and bronze Ravenclaw Prefect towel. The elf had Apparated into the dormitory, which in and of itself was enough to wake her, but then had relayed that Dumbledore wished the Head Boy and Girl's presence to prepare for the graduation ceremony. Before the tiny creature could disappear to roust James, Lily had stopped her, offering to do it for her.

The elf thanked her many times, apologised even more, and then disappearing again with a crack.

Thus, it was that Lily found herself waking James at the seemingly unholy hour of six.

"Mmphumph," James said in response, rolling over.

"James, c'mon," Lily insisted, rubbing his arm. He gave a great start and sat up quickly.

"What is it?" he asked in a worried voice, looking at her with rapidly-blinking eyes. She realized he couldn't see well, and handed him the glasses that were laying on the nightstand.

"Dumbledore wants us," she explained, "Last day!" she added brightly, kissing him.

"It is, isn't it?" James confirmed, trying to smile but looking pained, "Hey, you know what? I'll meet you down in the common room, okay?"

"Alright," she agreed, feeling a bit confused as he jumped out of bed and ran to the bathroom, shutting the door behind him. She shrugged to herself and headed towards the door. As she touched the handle of the door, she heard the distinct sound of someone vomiting.

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James righted himself in front of his mirror, ensuring his appearance was fit for today's events. He had on a pair of Muggle jeans and his white school shirt as he knew that they would be changing into their graduation robes later. He ran his hand thorough his hair. Typically, he enjoyed how his hair looked when it was mussed, but today it seemed too messy. He straightened his glasses across his nose, then reached down into the bottom of his trunk and pulled out the tiny navy box which had caused him so much illness. It was velvet on the outside and red satin on the interior, a ring nestled on the inside which had been his mother's great grandmother's. He wondered briefly if Lily would have rather had something new, but through his knowledge of jewelry was limited, he thought that the ring suited Lily perfectly.

It consisted of a single thin, golden band, set with a modest diamond in the centre. Around this were four golden prongs like a compass, and after only a slight distance was another circle of eight smaller diamonds that surrounded the middle one like petals. On either side of this, two engraved infinity symbols decorated the band. He opened the box and straightened the ring in its folds of red satin, then snapped the box closed, put it in his back pocket.

He took a huge breath, then, with a newfound spring in his step, he exited the dormitory in favor of the common room. Lily was standing in the corner talking to Sam, who was looking a hundred percent her typical self, smiling as she spoke animatedly with Lily. Sirius was sitting on the couch, leaning forward with his forearms on his knees, looking at Sam with a smile. When James' feet landed on the floor, Sirius looked up at him and grinned.

"'Morning, Prongsie!" he said cheerily, standing up and slapping him on the back.

"Good night?"

"It was," said Sirius in the same voice, "How about you? You ready for today?"

"I think so," James said, unable to keep his eyes from straying to Lily, who was looking at him. She smiled and he returned it.

"You're going to be alright, Prongs," Sirius promised.

"Thanks," James said, his voice quieting as Lily and Sam approached them.

"You okay?" Lily asked him.

"Yeah, I'm fine, why?" James tried to remain calm as his mind jumped to psychic countermeasures.

"I thought I heard you get sick," Lily offered, looking worriedly at him.

"Wasn't me," James said, shrugging, as Sirius snorted in derision and Sam smiled, looking at the floor. Padfoot patted James on the back and left before he could break into full-on laughter.

"Alright," Lily allowed, "You ready to go downstairs, then?"

"Yeah," James took her arm and began leading her towards the portrait hole, but stopped as Lily turned back to Sam and Sirius.

"Will you two be down soon?"

"Probably," Sam said, "I…I have to get ready for my…parents," she explained in a mutter.

"What?" James asked in clarification.

"C'mon," Lily said, pulling him towards the portrait hole now, "We'll catch up with you two later, alright?" Sam and Sirius both nodded. James and Lily stepped out into the empty corridors. Everyone was sleeping in today. The younger students had their last day of exams this morning, then the rest of the day off for the graduation ceremony in the afternoon to the evening. The seventh years were exhausted from the N.E.W.T.s and milking every last restful moment that they could from the castle.

"Are you…excited for graduation?" James managed to cough out the phrase. It was especially difficult to speak to Lily today. He was consistently worrying that he was going to slip up, ask her early, ask her incorrectly…

'I guess so," Lily said, "I'm not sure. A little nervous I guess, I don't want to mess up with my speech," she admitted with a shy smile.

"You're going to be perfect," James promised, squeezing her to his shoulder as they made it by the Great Hall and out of the doors to the lawn. The graduation ceremony was to take place outside under the trees—but a good distance away from the Whomping Willow—near the lake, where, James could see, the Giant Squid was floating near the top.

"Ah, Mr. Potter, Miss Evans," Professor Slughorn approached them, dressed in the pants and vest of what appeared to be a very grand set of dress robes, "Professor McGonagall requests the drafts of both of your speeches for reviewing," he informed them.

"Thank you, Professor," Lily smiled in a condoning manner.

"Congratulations, to you both," Slughorn smiled, "I have enjoyed having both of you in my classes."

"We have enjoyed having your class," Lily confirmed for the both of them, nodding and smiling as she retreated to where McGonagall was waiting for them.

"Miss Evans, Mr. Potter, a good morning to you both," she said, walking towards them, what appeared to be a long checklist of things to be done for today, "I expect both of you are well?" They both only nodded because they each knew that she would continue speaking. She did, "I also expect that you each have your speeches?"

"Yes," Lily said, reaching into her back pocket and removing a neatly folded speech.

"Mr. Potter?"

Hell, "I'm sorry, Professor, I think I forgot it…" James trailed off, feeling ashamed. Lily put a hand on his arm to quiet him and handed McGonagall another piece of paper. It was his own speech. Thank God for Lily…

"Thank you, Miss Evans," McGonagall surveyed James with disproving eyes, "I will read over each of these, make the proper grammatical corrections and return them to you. Do you have them memorized as they are now?" she continued. Each nodded, "Alright. Very well. I need you two to assist Madame Hooch in the arrangement of our…décor for the ceremony."

"Sure thing," James said, nodding at McGonagall and continuing on towards Madame Hooch, who was looking flustered while trying to magically arrange a series of tall poles with drooping banners between them in House colours. Lily followed him, "Thank you," he said to her, "For the speech…"

"You're welcome," she smiled.

"I should have remembered," he said apologetically.

"You don't have to when I'm here," she said.

"You two!" Hooch's wand was supporting eight poles at once, and her patience seemed to have worn thin.

"Sorry," Lily jumped forward, waving her wand once and taking the support for four of the poles, James took the other four and Hooch began sorting out the banners.

"I need you both to secure those using whatever means necessary," Hooch motioned to the silver and gold poles, "then hang the banners, one between every two, understood?" They both nodded, "Good." Hooch said, looking wearily around at all of the work that still needed completing, "After that, we have the chairs." Somehow, she managed to make that piece of furniture sound exceptionally ominous.

Lily set to work, magically supporting each pole. James began unfurling the banners even farther and laying them out next to their respective pairs of poles.

"What did Sam mean, 'get ready for her parents'?" he asked. Lily's mouth turned up into a smile, but it wasn't a happy one.

"Her parents are coming for the graduation and she wanted to get ready for them," Lily said. James was a bit insulted that she wouldn't explain the situation more.

"Lily, my parents are coming for this, and I don't have to get ready for them," he said pointedly.

"Sam's parents…it's a cultural difference I guess," she said in a contemplative voice, "If they were here for the entire school year, they wouldn't like how she wore her hair, they wouldn't like what she ate, they wouldn't like they way she speaks…"

"How does she wear her hair?" James felt lost in this conversation.

"Down."

"So?"

"You'll get to meet them," Lily said.

"What's wrong with what she eats?"

Lily shrugged, "Something about what they ate when they were in Russia. Like I said, cultural difference."

"And the way she talks?"

"Well, I think she gets a lot of the way she speaks from her parents, which is ironic, but they're all very honest and forthright. She's just a bit more so."

"What are they going to think of Sirius?" James asked. If the Tchaikovsky's didn't like Sam's hair, Sirius had a snowball's chance in hell of being approved. Lily's smile evaporated.

"Don't think she hasn't thought of that already."

"But they'd be alright, wouldn't they?" James asked in concern. Padfoot had finally worked up the guts to tell Sam how he felt, which had obviously been successful, and for the first time, they looked like a real couple.

"I don't know, James," she said frankly, "Sam's a different person here than she is at her house. With her family, she has a role that she's expected to play. She's the perfect daughter, and even if she wanted to disagree with her parents, I don't think she would."

James could see the snowball melting very quickly.

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Lily sat down in one of the hundred golden chairs that she and James, along with the help of Madame Hooch and Professor Slughorn, had spent the last two hours conjuring and arranging. McGonagall had stepped in when, in only fifteen minutes, they had a grand total of ten chairs. After that, they had positioned them in exact rows and columns between the ceremony grounds that were bordered by the banners which she and James had first set up.

McGonagall and Flitwick were now working on the stage where the Head Boy and Girl would give their speeches, where Dumbledore would talk for a moment, and where each of them would be granted their official release from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

Almost everything was ready now, and when Lily checked her watch, she saw that parents would be arriving in two hours. It was strange, with all of this talk of parents coming to watch their children graduate, Lily still hadn't felt any tears or sadness. Somehow, she could just feel that her parents really were going to be here, one way or another.

"Lils!"

She looked up to see Sam walking towards she and James, Sirius walking next to her. Both had on jeans, as seemed to be today's unspoken uniform, Sirius had a grey tee shirt on, and Sam had a white tee.

"McGonagall asked us to give these back to you," Sirius explained as Sam handed them each their speeches, "She said they were fine the way they were, and she didn't change a thing."

"Actually, I'm pretty sure she had a tear in her eye," Sam added, "I wanted to read what you wrote, but I didn't cheat," she admitted.

"Thanks," Lily said, taking her paper back. She handed the other one to James who had come up behind her at Sam and Sirius' approach, "You ready?" she asked of Sam, who had already begun the process of preparing for her parents. Her hair was pinned up in a series of braids and tiny pins.

"Yeah, I'm getting there," she responded darkly.

"Misses Evans and Tchaikovsky, Misters Potter and Black, if you're going to stand around, please do it in a productive manner," McGonagall was upon them, "Hold these if you please," she pointed to an assemblage of larger golden chairs that were magically marching towards the stage. They stopped as they reached the group, "Bring them up please when I ask you. Then you are all free to go enjoy your last hours here as you please," she added briskly, turning her back to them and magically constructing a podium from the stage, "There you are, bring them up, six on each side."

They did so quickly, arranging the chairs to McGonagall's liking, then all leaving in a rather hurried manner before she could think of something else for them to do.

They reached a normal pace as they neared the opposite side of the lake.

"Well, this is it, I guess," Sam said, sounding the most sentimental that Lily had heard her in her life.

"I guess," said James, putting his hands in his pockets. He was still looking rather sick, but when Lily had asked into the matter, he had denied it, so she let it be.

"C'mon," Sirius took Sam's hand suddenly and began towing her back towards the castle, "You can finish getting ready for your parents."

Sam caught his eye and a look of realization came over her face, "Oh, alright. Yeah."

"We'll come, too," Lily offered, "I wanted to get my robes and everything. Your parents are going to be there, aren't they, James?"

He nodded. Sam looked back and caught Lily's eye and winked hugely, wrapping one arm around Sirius and putting her other one on his arm, "You sure?"

"Oh. No, that's alright, we'll stay behind," Lily guessed at Sam's motive and she smiled, mouthing thanks back to her. Lily smiled in response. Sam took Sirius' arm and they both set off towards the castle again, and as they made it over a small rise, her view of them disappeared, "I _hope_ her parents like him," she said sadly, turning back to James, who was skipping a rock across the lake. It made four skips, but before it could land for the fifth and perhaps a sixth, something flashed out of the water and grabbed the stone, taking it back into the lake. Lily laughed, "Better luck next time."

James wiped his hands on his back pockets and smiled, "I guess."

They stood there in silence filled by the lapping of the lake and the wind in the trees around them. James turned around and faced her. Lily looked up at him and smiled.

"I love you, Lily," he said sweetly, taking both of her hands.

"I love you, too," she responded, squeezing his hands, which suddenly felt cold.

"And I've been wanting to ask you something before we left," he said in a strong voice, reaching into his back pocket. He pulled out a tiny velvet box and dropped down onto his right knee. She felt her hand that he had released come up to her mouth and cover it in shock, "Lily Evans, would you marry me?"

He opened the box, but she didn't even look at the ring. She didn't care what it looked like, it could have been empty for all she cared. She wasn't marrying the ring, after all, and she knew what she was going to say the moment he had knelt down: "Yes."

She caught his gaze, which was so incredibly intense that she would have looked away if she didn't have the same feeling bubbling up inside of her. James broke into a heart-breaking smile and carefully took her left hand and slid the ring onto her third finger. Then he stood up and took her face in his hands and kissed her in the same careful manner. She threw her arms around him and pulled him as close as she could, kissing him harder.

"Yes?" He repeated, pulling away with the same smile. She nodded urgently, trying to make her voice speak, but failing twice. On the third time she formed words.

"Yes," she said again, "Yes, I will marry you, James Potter."

She would think later how his Boggart that night now made perfect sense, and later she would think about them only being eighteen, but how it didn't really matter because she would have loved him at any age, and it would also be later that she looked at the gorgeous ring that he had given her, but for that moment, she gave herself completely over to the extreme euphoria that washed over her, and kissed James Potter as hard as she could.

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"Sirius, no," Sam insisted, pulling him down the hill, farther away from where James was supposedly proposing to Lily.

"I wanted to see if he did it," Sirius argued, "And if she said yes."

"She's going to say yes," Sam said confidently, "And it would be rude to watch."

"How so?" he asked, eyebrows raised as he finally came along with her without argument.

"It just would be," she said shrugging, "It's their moment, James' proposal, I would feel like we were spying."

"That's because we would be," he said, smiling at her. She sighed heavily, "Don't worry, I shan't," he promised, taking her hand and kissing it. His face suddenly held a very mischievous expression, "You used me as an excuse to leave," he mentioned.

She couldn't keep down the feeling of electrical shock that traveled through her where he had kissed her and giggled slightly. He laughed and picked her up easily. She wrapped her arms around his neck and looked at him.

"So?"

"So I think if Lily thinks we're out in the woods doing something, we shouldn't disappoint her."

"Sirius…"

But his mouth was already covering hers. She kissed back, but pulled away after only a moment, then shifted her weight and he let her back down onto the ground. She kept her arms around his neck and kissed him two more times, before turning and continuing down their path to the castle.

"That's it?" he sounded disappointed.

"For now," she said.

"I love you so much," he leaned down and kissed her neck.

"I love you, too," she said, and they fell into silence. It was so comfortable, just walking with Sirius, as if they too could be together forever. All of the proposal business between Lily and James had made her a bit nervous, thinking about her own future, but she was only eighteen. She had a boyfriend who she loved and who loved her back, and she didn't feel as if she needed to be married to him to confirm their relationship.

"Your hair looks pretty up," said Sirius, looking at her sideways.

"Oh, thank you," she said, putting a hand to her hair. She usually wore it down, because she loved it that way, but she knew how her parents liked it, which was pulled back to some extent, "I'll probably let some of it down," she added, "I feel _old_ with it all up like this."

"You look old," he said with a very serious face and she laughed and hit him in the arm, "Just kidding, just kidd- jeez, Tchaikovsky, calm yourself down."

"You're so mean," she said, pouting as she pulled out some of the pins of her hair so that the sides were still secured, but the length of her hair tumbled down her back, "How's this?"

Sirius looked concerned, "Fine. I don't know, it all sort of looks the same. You're just as beautiful either way," he added.

"Thanks," she mumbled, still unused to the open flattery from the boy she found so painfully attractive. The boy who would be meeting her parents in…little less than an hour.

"We should really get back and get ready," Sirius admitted, "I think they wanted all of the seventh years down at the podium in half an hour to get seated."

"Parents arrive after that?"

"I think so," Sirius nodded, "Are you…excited for your parents to come?"

Sam did her best to sidestep his question, "It will be nice to see them," she decided as the safest answer.

"That wasn't the question," Sirius leaned in so that his breath touched her neck.

"Well, that was my answer," Sam said smoothly, "Now, let's—"

"Miss Tchaikovsky, Mr. Black, your graduation robes can be found in your respective dormitories," Slughorn stopped them as they made their way to the stairs to the castle.

"Thank you, and, sir?" Sam touched Slughorn's arm to stop him as he passed.

"Yes ma'am?"

Sam smiled, "I was wondering when the…Muggle parents would be arriving, please?"

"Ah, all of the parents will be arriving together in Hogsmede, my dear, in approximately…" he checked his huge silver and emerald watch, "an hour I believe. The ceremony itself should start soon after that," Slughorn informed them, "Your parents are Muggles, yes?"

"They are," Sam said with a toothy smile.

"How about your parents, Mr. Black?"

"My parents won't be coming," Sirius said with a darker smile, and Sam knew she wasn't the only one sidestepping questions.

"Ah, well, in that case, I suggest you two go to change into your robes!" Slughorn said cheerily, slapping Sirius on the back and touching Sam's forearm gently.

"Thank you," they chimed before hurrying up the stairs. As Sam looked over her shoulder before she went into the castle, she saw Lily and James emerging from the forest. Sirius took her hand as they started up the staircases to the common room and, once they reached that destination, Sam promised him that she would meet him back in front of the fireplace in twenty minutes.

"Hey," he said, grabbing her arm and kissing her fully on the mouth quickly, "It doesn't matter how you have your hair. I think you're beautiful."

Sam felt herself blush, "Thanks."

"Twenty minutes," Sirius repeated, releasing her arm. She turned and took the stairs to her dormitory for what may have well been the last time. Indeed, as Slughorn had promised, their graduation robes had been laid on their beds. Sam took in the sight of the specially fitted black robes, the red and gold vestments that were to be worn over these. There was a red tasseled rope for their waists, and, Sam saw on Lily's bed, a special gold belt. She would have bet that James had one to match.

Sam chose a modest pale blue dress to wear under her robes, as she would be changing out of them as soon as the ceremony was over. She put it on quickly, surveying how it fell gracefully in a full skirt right above her knee, and had just slipped the black robe over her head when the door opened and Lily stepped into the room.

"Sam," Lily said, and they turned to face each other. Sam couldn't keep the expectant grin off of her face, and as Lily was beaming what was perhaps the most radiant smile that she had ever seen, her smile stood no chance of turning into a perplexed, unassuming face. Lily held up her left hand, where a beautiful ring wrapped around her third finger.

"Congratulations!" Sam couldn't help her voice from turning into a disturbingly high pitched squeal, which Lily matched, and they partook in what was perhaps the most girlish moment of their seven-year friendship. Sam held out her arms and wrapped Lily into a tight hug. After a moment they pulled apart, still holding hands as if they were ten, and Sam saw there was a single tear of extreme happiness in Lily's left eye, "How did he ask you?" she inquired, wishing slightly now that she had stayed to spy.

"He told me he loved me, and I said I loved him, too, and then he said there was something he wanted to ask me—"

"Did you guess what he was going to do?" Sam asked, sitting down on the bed, pulling Lily next to her. She held her left hand up closer for inspection of the ring. It was so dainty and beautiful, she suspected it to be an antique, which, of course, was perfect for Lily. She had seen the ring only once before, when James had first informed her of his desire to marry Lily, but she hadn't examined it then. There was a total of nine diamonds, all handsome with sparkle and clarity. In addition, she spotted two infinity symbols. That was so insanely perfect for the two of them, that Sam almost felt like crying as well.

Lily shook her head, "No, I don't think so. I mean, from the time he came with me to see my mum and dad, I knew we'd end up together to some extent, but I really didn't think he'd ask…now…" she trailed off, smiling, then, "You knew, didn't you?"

Sam nodded, "I did. He told me a while ago. I don't reckon Sirius or Remus knew until—"

"The Boggart?" Lily's face held a look of realization. Sam nodded again.

"I'm so happy for you, Lils. For both of you," Sam amended, hugging her fondly.

"Thank you," Lily said, "I…I guess I'm going to meet his parents today, soon," she looked vaguely nervous, but nothing serious, "And then…well, we just talked about it a little bit on the way back to the castle, but I think we'd both want a summer wedding."

"That would be beautiful," Sam agreed.

"But nothing too soon," Lily added, "Because of the Order and everything, but soon enough. Probably next year. Next summer."

"I think it's perfect," Sam told her.

"It is, isn't it?" Lily looked up at her with shining eyes, and a broad smile, "Oh!" Lily touched Sam's arm, "I wanted to ask _you_ then, would you be my maid of honor?"

"Aw, Lily! I'd love to!" Sam felt the happiness inside of her swell so that it seemed to fill every possible bit of her. She had thought only briefly about being in their wedding if she was asked, but it really didn't make a difference to her.

"Good, I didn't have anyone else I was going to ask," Lily looked slightly relieved.

"C'mon, we'll make plans later," Sam said, standing up and tying the red rope around her waist, "Right now, you have a commencement speech to give, your fiancée's parents to meet…"

"Ugh, don't remind me…" Lily looked slightly ill.

"Lily Evans—wait can I call you Lily Potter now?"

"Um, I don't think so," Lily looked as if she were considering, "Not until the wedding."

"Oh well, it still sounds nice—"

"Doesn't it though?" Lily gave a glowing smile as she dressed in a yellow and white dress, putting her robes on over that and tying the golden tie at her waist.

"Anyway, you are going to give a wonderful speech that will break the ice to James' parents before you even meet them, and afterwards, you are going to charm them even farther, for you, my dear are Lily Evans-soon-to-be-Potter."

"That's a bit cumbersome of a last name, isn't it?" Lily looked skeptical as she pulled on pale yellow, high heeled shoes. Sam raised an eyebrow.

"Please, remember who you are talking to," she shook her head.

"Right, sorry. Wasn't your mother's maiden name something like Dazzerhammer—"

"Dzhamgerchinov," Sam corrected her with a smile before she hurt herself.

"Ah, that's it," Lily looked concerned that she had even attempted to pronounce the surname.

"Yes. And you know my parents shortened our name when we moved here, it used to be Tchaikovskayavich."

"Yes, I recall you mentioning that once."

"And only once," Sam said, feeling a bit of mixed emotion at all mention of her parents, "Now, I believe it is time to go."

She offered her hand to Lily, who took it and they walked out of their dormitory, descended the stairs to the common room. Remus, Sirius and James were all conspiring by the portrait hole. They had matching robes as well. They were each wearing their usual black pants, but Remus' shirt was a dark navy blue, James' was cream and Sirius' was red.

"Congratulations, James," Sam said as Lily released her hand in favour of James' ready embrace. Sirius came to her side and put his arms on her hips.

"Thanks, Nutcracker," James grinned.

"Right, well, is everyone ready for this?" Remus looked at his friends in a bemused manner.

"I don't think _any _of us are ready for _any _of this," Sam said, and they all sort of nodded, each thinking of whatever hurtle it was that they were now voluntarily going out to jump.

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James released Lily's hand as he deposited her in her seat for the ceremony. They were seated on the stage with the teachers, the rest of their class was down in the golden chairs, seated in front of only their parents if they were Muggles, or as many relatives as would come if they were a wizarding child. It wasn't as though there was any prejudice towards the Muggle community, but the school felt that it was safer to only allow the Muggle parents to Hogwarts. As it was, Dumbledore himself had done some fancy spell work for at least an hour on the castle defenses, as to allow so many visitors.

James took the seat next to Lily and held her hand again, entwining his fingers with hers, his thumb brushing against her ring. She looked over at him and smiled, then looked out into the crowd. James did the same. Sirius and Sam were seated with the rest of the Gryffindors, Sirius' hand on Sam's leg, her hand on top of his. Lupin was next to Sirius, and after him Peter, who James had seen for the first time in a while, then Joanna and Mina, as well as Alice. The Ravenclaws, Hufflepuffs and Slytherins were all seated in their appropriate sections, nearest to their banners, and behind them, all of the parents were seated patiently, each talking to one another, calming siblings and laughing with spouses.

James spotted his parents seated in the middle of the group, holding hands in Mrs. Potter's lap, both looking up and him. His mother waved as did his father, and he smiled in return. Lily noticed the exchange and leaned in towards him.

"Where are they?" she asked, referring to his parents.

"There, about three rows up, towards the middle right side…"

"There? Strawberry blonde and black hair? You look just like your dad," she added, smiling and giving a tiny wave to her soon-to-be-in-laws. Both waved back hugely, as though they had known her forever. James had often heard that he looked like his father since he had been young. Mr. Potter had the same black hair and even wore glasses.

"Yeah, that's them," James offered, "You see Sam's parents?"

"Right there," Lily said, "Last row, far left."

"Both blonde?"

Lily nodded. The Tchaikovskys were slightly facing each other, speaking in what James strongly suspected to be rapid Russian. Mrs. Tchaikovsky was scanning the seats for Sam's head, and picked out her eldest daughter quickly, pointing out her location to her husband.

"Welcome all," Dumbledore had taken the podium and was looking out across the crowd with a beam of a smile, "It is my extreme pleasure to introduce to you all the graduating class of Hogwarts for this year. Forty students will be leaving this school today, seven years after they first entered these walls. But I could speak for hours on end. I have left the honors of speaking today to the Head Boy and Girl of this year's class. It is my special privilege to present Mister James Potter and Miss Lily Evans."

The chairs exploded into applause, polite versions from the parents, hoots and whistles from the Gryffindors, Ravenclaws, and Hufflepuffs, reluctant, begrudging claps from the Slytherins. Sirius, Remus, Peter and Sam all stood up and cheered uninhibitedly.

James motioned to Lily to go first, and with a look of mixed love and anxiety. Lily gripped the podium tightly, James watched her knuckles go white.

"Thank you," she began in a small strain of voice. She coughed once and her voice regained its typical volume and beautiful lilt and tone, "My name is Lily Evans, and I have been given the honor of speaking to you today on the day before we all leave the school." She took a deep breath, then looked up again so that James felt sure she was making eye contact with every single person, making them all feel important, a side effect of Lily's attention.

"I wasn't really sure what to say when I first began thinking of a speech. I looked at what other Heads had said at past commencements, but none of the topics seemed to really fit today. I realized that was because this year is completely different from the past.

"As we all start out today to join the 'real world', we are about to make the decisions that will affect the rest of our lives. We are going out today, choosing sides whether we realize it or not, choosing what side we wish to fight on. Because there is a war going on today, a war between good and evil.

"I have chosen to take my few minutes of fame to tell you all about a man named Lord Voldemort, who has began waging war against the good population, not just the Wizarding world, but against the Muggles as well. Lord Voldemort is gathering soldiers to fight his side of the war, creating a larger burden for the good people. Sometimes, this war has seemed so enormous, I felt certain that it would crush me before I left the walls of the school. My parents were killed in an attack by Lord Voldemort's soldiers," Lily paused, and James was concerned for a moment that she was going to cry, but Lily was the strongest person he had known, "But they were what helped me to choose what side of the fight I wanted to be on.

"We all don't have such clear cut reasons to join a side of a fight. Often times they're left up to our consciences, whatever morals we have, to make this decision for ourselves. We all need to be strong enough now to choose the side of good, and fight for the people we love, the people we care about. It's a huge decision, and many people may think that we're too young to make it, but we aren't. The burden is large, but all of us have strength inside of us, and if we take hold of it together, it won't feel heavy."

Lily remained at the podium for a second more, then stepped down and stood next to James. She had a very small tear pooling in the corner of her eye, but the rest of her eyes had a hard, determined glint to them. The tear fell down and James lifted his hand and caught it before it could roll too far down her cheek. Lily smiled, then nodded towards the podium.

James took the podium, looking out at the crowd. Many of the women's eyes looked misty, many faces were set and determined. Lily certainly knew how to speak. James cleared his throat and his father gave him a thumbs-up.

"Hi, my name's James Potter, and, well, it's going to be tough for me to follow that up," he paused and everyone gave an appreciative smile at his attempt to lighten the mood, "But I'm going to give it a go," he added.

"Lily talked about how she had lost her parents, and as I am lucky enough to be counted as a friend to her, I was close enough to see the effect that took on her. I felt even luckier to have all of my friends and family still with me, to help me get through this war.

"What Lily had to say was a hundred percent correct. As we head out of here, I think it's going to be a bit of a shock. Hogwarts has been an exceptionally safe haven, a home, for all of us here, and it's comforting to think that this castle is going to be here forever, to keep on keeping children safe as they get old enough to make these kinds of decisions: whether or not they'll join a war.

"It isn't an easy situation, the one we're in right now, but it's my hope that we'll be able to put any troubles to rest now, so that children in the future, maybe they'll be our children one day, won't have to make these decisions, that they'll be able to transition into this sort of real world with no problem, and their commencement speeches will be able to focus on the best times of their year." James smiled and nodded at the general everyone, and stepped down. Lily was there for him when he turned around, and they both sat back down together, to the sound of boisterous applause. There were no whistles this time, but the claps were resounding.

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Lily stood at the bottom of the stairs to the stage, waiting for James to finish speaking with Dumbledore after the actual commencement ceremony had taken place. All of the students had risen and were now speaking with each other, finding parents and introducing friends, talking about going home today or tomorrow. They had all returned their robes, and now, instead of a sea of black, everyone was dressed in their own clothes, all of the girls with brightly coloured dresses, all of the boys with dress shirts and pants.

James jumped down the stairs and took her hand.

"Your speech was beautiful," he said, "_You_ are beautiful," he added, kissing her quickly on the mouth and squeezing her hand, "Now may I introduce you to my parents?"

"Yes, please," Lily only felt slightly nervous, having already given a speech in front of approximately a hundred people.

"Thank you," James said, pulling her along through the crowd.

"Hey you two," Sam appeared on their right, Sirius and Remus a few steps behind her. Sam hugged Lily while the two Marauders thumped James on the back. Sam gave James a hug as well.

"Where's Peter?" James asked, seeing as Peter Pettigrew had scampered off yet again.

Remus shrugged, "I'm not really sure. Oh, nice speeches, by the way."

"Yeah Evans, that was impressive!" Sirius wrapped Lily into a large bear hug, then let her go.

"Yes, Lily, that was…really well spoken," said Remus in a quiet voice, hugging her.

"Hey, we're on our way over to see my parents," James said, "You wanna come?"

"Yeah," Sirius said enthusiastically. Remus nodded his assent and Sam just smiled.

"James!"

Lily heard a voice behind them. They turned around to see Mr. and Mrs. Potter standing behind them. She had seen them earlier when they had first been on stage.

"Hi mum," James' voice was muffled by an enthusiastic hug from his mother. She pulled his head down towards her and kissed him on the forehead, then pulled him back to better examine him, "Dad," James added, shaking Mr. Potter's hand firmly.

Mrs. Potter was of a petite frame, but with a stately posture and presence that made her seem taller. Lily supposed she was just about forty, her face and body were beginning to show age, but also that sort of ripened wisdom of one who has lived a good life. Her light, strawberry blonde hair was trimmed to her shoulders in long, glossy layers. Her skin was a dewy, pale white, dotted with sparse, dark freckles on her shoulders and arms, as well as her nose and cheeks. She had very dark hazel eyes that were identical to James', though they were not shielded by glasses, rather surrounded by dark lashes and high, arched brows. Mr. Potter was identical to James, save for his advanced years—Lily guessed he was slightly older than his wife by perhaps three years—and his eyes, which were a suede, sea-coloured turquoise.

Mrs. Potter was dressed in a flowy, carnation pink crepe set of robes that looked more like Sunday dress than Wizarding robes, while Mr. Potter had donned a set of navy blue dress robes.

"Hi Mrs. Potter, Mr. Potter," Sirius greeted his surrogate parents much in the same way, a hug for Mrs. Potter and a hand shake for Mr. Potter.

"Sirius, no son of mine ever addressed me as 'Mrs. Potter'," Mrs. Potter said fondly to her adopted son. Sirius smiled a small smile.

"Sorry, mum," he amended, only sounding slightly awkward.

"And Remus, don't stand in the back," Mrs. Potter hugged Remus as well.

"Yes ma'am," Remus grumbled, looking amused.

"Oh, this is Samantha Tchaikovsky," Sirius introduced Sam, who shook hands with both of the Potters with a smile and a 'how do you do?'

"What an interesting last name," Mrs. Potter smiled at her.

"Yes ma'am," Sam smiled indulgently.

"Are you from Russia?" Mr. Potter asked, looking interested. Sam nodded, "Maybe you'd know a business friend of mine over there, name of Krum? He has a son that's two years older than you all, but he went to school in Bulgaria. Real Quidditch talent."

"No sir," Sam said, "my parents are Muggles. They wouldn't have known him."

"Ah, do you like it here?" Mr. Potter continued, and Sam nodded again, "Good…good…"

"And who is this lovely young woman, James?" Mrs. Potter asked, her eyes lighting on Lily. Lily felt her stomach do a small summersault, but managed a smile.

"Mum, dad, this is Lily," James said.

"Lily Evans?" Mrs. Potter asked and Lily nodded.

"We've heard so many excellent things about you when James writes home," Mr. Potter smiled at her.

"And that was a lovely speech you gave," Mrs. Potter complimented her.

"My condolences towards you and your family. I heard about that Death Eater attack in the _Prophet_," Mr. Potter's face was gravely set.

"Thank you," Lily said.

"Mum…dad…"James took Lily's hand tightly, "Lily's my fiancée. We're going to be getting married next summer," he explained in what Lily thought was a careful voice.

"Fiancée?" Mr. Potter repeated, looking slightly shocked, and for one moment, Lily feared that no matter what the Potters had heard about her from James, nothing would redeem her from agreeing to marrying their only son at so young an age. What they had to be thinking of her right now…

"Congratulations," Mrs. Potter exclaimed, hugging her tightly. Lily managed to return the gesture, "Oh, we couldn't be happier for the both of you. Of course we could tell how much James cared for you, but I don't think either of us suspected a proposal, but that's wonderful!" Mrs. Potter stepped back and clasped her hands, looking thrilled.

"Congratulations to both of you," Mr. Potter shook his son's hand again. Lily chanced a look at James, who was grinning broadly, and she felt herself smile with huge relief.

"I'm so sorry to be rude, but I have to go find my parents," Sam said apologetically, giving Lily a hug, "It was a pleasure to have met both of you."

"Of course," said Mrs. Potter, who looked as if she may begin crying, "We would love to meet your parents before they leave.

"I'm sure they would be very happy to meet you," Sam assured them, "but they'll be looking for me."

"We'll come and find them then in a while," Mr. Potter offered.

"That would be wonderful," Sam smiled, taking Sirius hand and they disappeared into the crowd.

"Remus," Mr. Potter turned his attentions to Lupin, "where are your parents? I would love to speak to your mother and father about their work at St. Mungo's…"

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"There they are," Sam spotted her parents standing together a few dozen yards off.

"Well come on then," Sirius looked perplexed at her reluctance to approach her own parents.

"Why am I more nervous about this than you?" Sam demanded, now feeling queasy.

"I have no idea," Sirius took her face and kissed her snoggishly for a second, "Better?"

"Yes," she admitted, looking up at him. He was gorgeous, he was sweet and polite with a great sense of humour. How could anyone _not _like him? Despite being braced by his kiss and his palm at her back, Sam felt certain that her parents would find some fault with him. She tried to fix her hair which she had finally tied back from her face with two small braids, the rest fell down her back, but by then they had been spotted.

"Samantha," her mother saw her first, "vhere have you been?"

"Sorry, mama," Sam mentally rolled her eyes. Let the chastising begin, "I met some of my friends' parents."

"Ve see zem. Vith red and black hair?" she clarified and Sam nodded, "But you forget own parents?"

"No, mama."

The older woman was wearing a black linen skirt and a white shirt that buttoned in the front with a red and blue scarf at her neck, her long blonde hair in a braided bun. Sam had always thought her mother was beautiful, with her keen blue eyes and slight frame and nose.

"Congratulations_, lapushka_," her papa said, smiling slightly, but his eyes held the same expression as his wife's: surveying, judging. He was wearing black dress pants and a grey button down shirt. He too had golden hair and blue eyes, with a nose identical to Sam's.

"Thank you, Papa," Sam said with a tiny smile.

"I hear Lily use my proverb for speech," Mrs. Tchaikovsky said, "Vy do I not hear my own daughter use zem more often?"

"I was the one who told her about it, mama," Sam attempted to explain, but her mother had already moved onto the next topic of deepest shame which her daughter was exhibiting.

"You have hair down," her mama noted, "it look better up," she added.

"I like it down, mama…"

"And you look too thin. You look sick," she added.

"Mama, I'm fine," Sam attempted to make her voice firm.

"Who is zis?" her papa spoke for only the second time. He was always quiet in manner, but Sam could hear clear anger in his voice as he saw Sirius' hand on her waist.

"Mama, Papa, this is Sirius," Sam smiled, putting her hand on Sirius' chest, "he and I are dating," she wondered if they would understand that word in its context, "He is my boy friend," she tried again.

"It is nice to meet you," Sirius said, without any of the slow or loud speech that many attempted when talking to immigrants, and turning on his full charm. Sam saw it had no effect as her Papa shook Sirius' hand too tightly, and her Mama's eyes turned cold when Sirius took her hand and kissed it lightly.

"You two sleep togezzer?" were the first words out of her mother's mouth. Sam's smile melted into a scowl.

"_No_, Mama, we're dating."

"Then why he hold your waist?" this was from her Papa. Sirius removed his hand immediately, but Sam kept her hand on his chest.

"Sam…"Sirius' voice was low in her ear.

"Nyet," her mother said, instantly disapproving. Sam knew what would happen before it did, and her parents fell into their defense of speaking in Russian, "_I don't like him at all. He is a bad seed,"_ her mama said to her papa. Sam sighed.

"_Mama, you know he can't understand what you're saying."_

"_It is better that way," _her mama argued.

"_It's rude," _Sam said, unhappily.

"_You do not speak to your Mama that way," _her Papa jumped in, "_We are your parents, and it is our job to protect you."_

"_Mama, Papa, I am old enough to make decisions—"_

"_Obviously not," _her mama said skeptically.

"_We don't like him."_

"_Why?" _Sam demanded, stepping forward.

"_He doesn't respect you."_

"_You just met him. You have no idea what he's like."_ Sam argued.

"_I don't like his looks," _her mama said.

"Mama, I love his looks. I love him and he loves me too,"she said, using English for Sirius' benefit so that he could have some respite from the rapid Russian between them.

"_You are too young to love,"_ her father argued, continuing with the Russian.

"_You and Mama got married when you were seventeen. We are a year older and we aren't married."_

" _I don't want you to see him anymore," _her father said in finality.

"_Why? Because he isn't Russian?"_ Sam supposed, knowing she was right.

"_Do you think us prejudiced?" _her mother demanded.

"_Yes," _Sam said.

Sam stepped back so that she was next to Sirius again.

"Ve don't vant you to see zis boy—Seerus—anymore," her mother repeated, this time in English, so Sirius was sure to understand their decision.

"Mama…"Sam felt a terrible clash inside of her as her intense love for Sirius met with the respect she had had for her parents for the past eighteen years of her life.

"You still in our household, and you vill do as we say," her mother said, hitting her consonants very hard, with every accent of an angry Russian woman.

"_Perhaps I don't want to be in your household any longer,"_ Sam spat. It actually caused her pain to go so against everything she had ever known about respect. She couldn't believe her parents were putting her in this situation—putting Sirius in this situation.

"_How dare you?" _her mother demanded, "_We brought you here, we gave you an English name so that you would fit in, we let you go to this school so that you could learn your magic. We have supported you and this is how you repay us?"_

"_Support?" _Sam repeated, "_I told you I loved him and you tell me that I can't see him. I never asked you to bring me here or give me a name to fit in. But I do ask you to support this one decision."_

She felt her eyes burn with tears, but blinked them away.

"No."

This came from both of them, in final judgment.

"Then I do not wish to see you."

She had shocked them into silence, and each of their eyes flashed with an anger and sadness all their own.

"I'm sorry," Sirius spoke up. Sam turned to look at him, "I didn't mean to cause any trouble. If you don't want me to see your daughter anymore, I won't."

"Sirius…" Sam tried to catch his eye, but he wouldn't look at her.

"Zat very right of you," her Mama said and Sirius nodded at them, detached himself from Sam's hand and walked away towards the stage again, "Now, Samantha, we are going to go meet your other friends' parents," she said as if nothing had happened, "Would be polite of you to come introduce us…"

Everything was spinning as her parents walked away, having spotted the Potters, who were still with Lily and James, talking to another couple who she would have guessed to be Lupin's parents, but she didn't stay to witness the exchanges between them. She had to find Sirius. He had already disappeared into the crowd. She inserted herself into the throng of people, moving fluidly between them. Surely he had been saying all that for her parents' approval. Surely he wasn't really going—

"Sirius!" she spotted him up ahead, moving quickly. He didn't look back. She broke into a short sprint and caught him, grabbed his arm and turned him around, "Hey," she said, looking up at him. He still wouldn't look at her, "What the hell did you mean back there?"

He shifted from foot to foot, finally chanced meeting her eyes, "I meant what I said."

"You don't want to see me anymore?"

"No," he said, looking away from her again, "I don't want to come between you and your family. That isn't what a relationship is supposed to be—"

"Sirius, it doesn't matter what they think—"

"Yes it does, Sam. I saw your face when you argued with them. It was killing you. I don't want to kill you."

"You aren't killing me," she attempted in a scoffing voice.

"Just…just promise something? Promise that you'll go back with them. They need you, and I think you need them, too."

"I don't need them, Sirius—"

"I don't need you, okay? I…I don't want to see you anymore."

There was anger in his voice, and though she searched his eyes for some reluctance, she found none.

Sam felt something very large and whole in her chest fall away. She dropped his arm and he looked at her one last time. Then, with a look of huge resolve, he walked away. She didn't watch him go, though every bit of her was screaming to do otherwise. She didn't chase after him, she had done that already. She didn't collapse, though her legs felt numb.

Very calmly, head held as high as she could, she walked over to the stairs that led down from the stage and sat down.


	27. Within the Order

_Still don't own any characters that you recognize-except Samantha Tchaikovsky, you might start recognizing her now…I hope…*long silence* (I know some of you are like "uh, Tchaikovsky?" Yeah, I'm onto you.)_

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_She's back…_

_Hello again everyone. I'm really happy to be getting this out because I was constantly feeling badly that I hadn't updated. So I have a chapter for you all! Huzzah. _

_At the risk of boring you all with my own personal life I really want to explain the upcoming months as they pertain to this story. I'm going to be starting school again (yay [she says sarcastically seeing as two months of vacation aren't hardly sufficient]) with two AP classes and sports and a lot of other things. Also, within this last month of July, I have two books and projects to complete (for school) a college application to begin work on and other assorted tasks which are too menial to mention here. So, in the very end, updates from here on out may be few and far between, but I will be making an attempt._

_If you notice, this chapter ends in a slightly more uplifting manner than the last, and I think I'm going to attempt to continue that trend. All of this mess that I have created is beginning to depress me as well._

_Love always,_

_Fae _

_P.S. Oh, if all of you gracious people who add me as a favourite would just leave me a review…I would love you even more! (yes, that's a tempting offer…)_

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**Within the Order**

_**Three Months Later...**_

"Clear," Lily lowered her wand. Sam appeared from the adjacent room of the abandoned house.

"Clear," she agreed, nodding, but Lily noticed she didn't put her wand away. Lily stowed it in the back of her pants pocket. It was their third raid of that day alone. Dumbledore had sent them to three different locations that were suspected of housing Death Eaters. So far, all of the locales had been abandoned.

"Call the bomb squad in," Sam joked without a smile, referring to the team of Aurors who would inspect the cleared Death Eater scenes, combing them for magical objects. Lily nodded, conjuring her Patronus for the second time, as Sam had taken a turn to send her magical messenger at the second location. The silver doe looked calmly up at Lily.

"Tell Caradoc and Frank that we're ready for them," Lily said to the fluid animal, which disappeared at her words. It was Dumbledore who had shown them all his unique and secure method of communication, using the formerly specialized Patronus charm.

"Was that the last one?" Sam asked as they exited the house, stepping onto the Muggle street of Crenory Wick. Lily still found it hard to believe that so many Death Eater cells were located among the innocent-and unaware-Muggle community. Now they both stowed their wands and set off down the sidewalk.

As all three of their raids had taken place in such settings, both were dressed casually, discreetly, in jeans. Lily had worn a black and white sweater and vest with a very Muggle-ish argyle print, as well as black leather boots whose substantial heels stuck out from under the flares of her jeans. Sam had a cream coloured linen shirt with voluminous sleeves and three grommets that should have been tied with the coordinating black ribbon, but Sam had disregarded those completely.

Clouds were forming overhead, and both women's' hair was curling slightly in the humidity. Cars passed at modest paces, their fog lights illuminating the road in the dusk light.

"Back to the Cauldron?" Sam supposed, sticking her hands in her pockets. For the past two months, almost every Order member had taken up a semi-permanent residence in the Leaky Cauldron, which was being tentatively used as the Order Headquarters until a more appropriate location could be secured.

"I think so. Don't you have something this evening?" Lily asked, looking at Sam, who was fidgeting with her hair, which had been pinned back in a voluminous knot at the nape of her neck. She just nodded, looking as though she were thinking of something very important, "Sam?"

"Yeah."

Sam looked up at her with widened brown eyes.

"Do you have a date tonight?" Lily repeated, feeling her eyebrows knot in concern.

"Yeah, I do, I'm meeting my parents for dinner," she relayed, "they said they had something to give me or show me or something."

"That sounds…promising," Lily searched for the right word.

"Promising…" Sam echoed, sounding far away. Lily sighed inwardly. Sam hadn't been the same girl for going on three months now. She wasn't sure how her friend had been able to mend at all after Sirius had left her so abruptly, cruelly.

Without a second glance, Sirius Black had abandoned Sam at their graduation, less than twenty-four hours after telling her that he loved her. Lily really wasn't sure what had happened, as Sam had been without words when Lily had found her, and she hadn't spoken of it since. As closely as she could tell though, Sirius had been run off by Sam's disproving parents.

Thus, not only had Lily's impression of the Tchaikovskys been lowered, but also her opinion of Sirius Black to that of a rock. Actually, Lily thought, she had seen many rocks that she had liked quite a bit more than Sam's first and only ex. She had asked James for a look into Sirius' head, thinking that perhaps Sirius had confided in James, but he had not, and Lily suspected that, in some demented way, his leaving Sam had affected him just as negatively. Maybe he didn't really want to leave, maybe he really didn't want to damage Sam's relationship with her parents, as Lily had gleaned he had told her, but she suspected that the reasoning ran much deeper. Even if Sirius didn't deserve as much respect as a pebble, he had had more social interaction than one.

It would have been entertaining to watch the two of them interact, as they had done every day at the Order meetings, briefs and debriefs, if she hadn't known the toll that it was taking on Sam. They had been very careful, each particularly snippy, always trying to one-up the other one. Sam seemed to be proving that she was perfectly capable of functioning at her normal one hundred and twenty percent without him, despite him, while Sirius seemed to be confirming that he was indeed right to have left her.

They stopped at the intersection of the residential street and the main road and stood in front of the bus stop. Sam looked down the left side of the sidewalk, checking that everything was clear before they Apparated back to the Leaky Cauldron for their debrief of the day and whatever else they had planned.

"Excuse us."

Lily looked up to the right. Two men, about their age, had approached her and Sam. As she looked, she saw that they were twins, both attractive with blonde hair and blue eyes, tall and muscular. Lily felt thoroughly unimpressed, and when she looked at Sam, she saw she had the same general feeling.

"Yes," Sam said. The command _speak_ was left unsaid.

"We were wondering if you two ladies might like to join us for a drink tonight. We would be exceptionally indebted," the second one said with a half smile.

"Oh, thank you," Lily started.

"Excellent. Could we pick you both up at…maybe…seven, going on eight?"

Sam exhaled loudly and grabbed Lily's hand.

"Oh, if it's like that, that's okay—"

"Do you see this?" Sam asked, holding out Lily's hand so that her engagement ring was on full display in the rainy sunlight, "She's getting married."

"Oh, right, sorry."

"Congratulations," the second one added, "How about you then?" Number Two asked Sam, and Lily saw her look slightly surprised.

"Um, well—"

"She has dinner with her parents tonight," Lily took over for Sam with a large grin.

"Well I'll just give you my number maybe?"

"Oh, right, well, I haven't a pen," Sam was grabbing for straws now.

"I have one," Number One gave Number Two a pen from his pocket.

"How handy," Sam said with a forced smile, taking the piece of paper that Number Two handed her, "Thank you."

"Yeah, just call whenever," he offered, "I have practices every Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday from two to six so…"

"Oh, what do you do?" Lily asked, feeling amused at Sam's wide eyes, obviously completely put out by Number One and Number Two.

"We both play football," Number One said.

"That's really…something," Sam managed, "And thank you. I will call you, but we do have to go."

"Alright,"

"Good night."

Sam smiled and took Lily's arm, dragging her down the street, leaving One and Two behind them.

"It's shameful," Sam said in disgust, "how many guys hit on you. I mean, they always did, but you get that ring on your finger and they are all over you. Get it before it's gone, eh?" she added in a mutter.

"You weren't interested at all, were you?" Lily laughed. Sam's mouth twitched, almost smiled, but thought better of it. Lily had the passing thought that perhaps after so much non-use, her smiling ability had deteriorated.

"Not at all," Sam said, shaking her head.

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With a refreshing release, Sam landed on the street outside of the Leaky Cauldron. She actually loved Apparating, but it was always nice when she was done.

Lily appeared next to her.

"He was cute," Lily argued, "they both were. And they were athletes." She added, mentioning the moderately attractive twins who had insisted upon giving Sam their number.

"Drop it, Lily. Please," Sam said tonelessly. They had entered the pub and spotted the rest of the Order members in their traditional corner, all conferring over the day's events. Dumbledore was present for one of the rare occasions: typically, he had other assignments that often went into the night.

"Ah, Misses Tchaikovsky and Evans, our two most efficient members. Three raids, though none of them turned into anything," Dumbledore welcomed them with a smile. Sam tried to return it, but found it physically impossible, "You are right in time for the debriefing."

Lily went around to the side of the table and sat on James' lap. Sam crossed her arms and leaned against one of the support beams.

"We have successfully brought four confessed Death Eaters to justice thus far. We continue to gather tips on the whereabouts of other Death Eaters," Dumbledore said calmly, "Misters Prewitt have the reports on some of our most wanted adversaries."

Dumbledore sat down and the Prewitt brothers stood up. Both had red hair and were rather stocky in height and build, Fabian had bright blue eyes while Gideon had light brown ones, that were hidden behind square glasses. Sam liked them well enough, and respected their work even more, knowing that each were accomplished wand masters.

"Antonin Doholov," Gideon produced a picture of a violent looking man and placed it on the table.

"Fenrir Greyback," Fabian lay down a photograph of the werewolf. Sam couldn't help but notice Remus Lupin flinch prominently.

"And Bellatrix Black."

Sam couldn't help it. Her eyes flashed to Sirius Black- and met them because his own were fixed on her. She could only imagine how it felt to have his cousin's picture placed on the table, his own last name mentioned in their investigations. She looked away, back to the picture of Bellatrix Black. She had a frizzed black mane of hair and a flashing, demented smile, revealing decayed teeth. Her eyes however, were the same grey of her cousin's, and Sam couldn't manage to look at the picture either.

"These three Death Eaters have been confirmed the masterminds behind a combined dozen Muggle attacks," Fabian told them all, "all three have been also confirmed unstable. You all have clearance to disable upon confrontation."

Gideon took a breath, "You also all have UCC if necessary."

The clearance to perform unforgivable curses was an impossible, but necessary, responsibility.

"That's all for now." Fabian collected his pictures once again and sat down with his brother. Dumbledore looked at all of them.

"Another successful day, I would say. Misters Cordovac and Longbottom are still cleaning up from Misses Evans and Tchaikovsky's final raid, but I suggest that all of you adjourn to whatever activities it is that you find bring you happiness. I, happen to find that sort of happiness in sleep, so I wish you all a good night."

Dumbledore stood up with a smile, though it was only seven, and made his way up the stairs to the rooms of the Cauldron. The Order members disbanded, some found their way to the bar, others exited out the door. Sam stayed behind and found Lily and James again. Resentfully, she watched Sirius walk to the bar where an especially pretty blonde floozy of a witch was straddled over a stool, holding a shot of Firewhiskey. With an effortless smile, Sirius sat down next to her and began chatting her up.

Sam clenched her teeth, tearing her eyes away from the disgusting scene as she neared Lily and James who were also both observing Sirius' behavior.

"That's the twelfth one," she heard James say with a twinge of disgust in his voice, "I've honestly never seen him skip around so much. It's like he…."

Lily cleared her throat lightly and James stopped talking, followed Lily's gaze to Sam.

"Hey, I'm going to go change for dinner," Sam said, again failing to smile. She pretended not to have heard what they had said.

"Alright."

"And, um," Sam coughed, remembering her other current duty as Lily's maid of honor, "I, um, have some kind of decoration options that you two might want to look at. And dresses…"

"Thank you!" Lily looked genuinely happy, "Maybe tomorrow we could look at some?"

Sam nodded.

"Depending on how many raids you two get assigned," James smiled at them, "the dynamic duo, eh?"

Lily pushed his arm in teasing, with a huge smile.

"Hey guys," they turned around to Sirius, who was holding the blonde, or rather the blonde was holding on to him, "I think Kaelyn and I—"

"Caitlyn," Caitlyn corrected.

"That's what I said," Sirius said smoothly, "Caitlyn and I are going to head out for a bit—"

"I need a smoke," Caitlyn interjected, with a drunken slur and smile. Sam couldn't help the snort of disbelief that came from within her at the sight of the desperation on Sirius' part. He was pathetic.

"You need to go somewhere, Tchaikovsky?" he asked.

"Yeah, actually, I have a date tonight. I was just headed out—"

"A date?" Sirius voice was shocked disbelief, "Hey, Caitlyn, I'll catch up with you, okay?"

Caitlyn nodded, hoisting herself up by his arm and kissing his cheek. Sam felt her chest tighten and her stomach revolt against her lunch. With great effort, she kept it down. Sirius noticeably pushed Caitlyn away.

"Charming," Sam sneered.

"_A date_?"

"Yes," she emphasized, "I got the number of t_wins_ if you must know." She mashed together multiple truths into one grand lie.

"Twins," he repeated.

"Blonde, blue eyed," she mentioned every facet of the football twins that was opposite to Sirius' looks, "Lily saw them. Really gorgeous, weren't they Lils?" Sam turned to Lily, who looked alarmed that she was being involved.

"Yeah they were."

"Both are athletes, just stunning bodies," Sam said, wincing inwardly. Sirius' eyes flashed and for a moment she thought he would fight back.

"Are you seeing your parents soon?" he asked instead, his eyes as soft and—dare she say it—loving as they had ever been. Sam looked away, refusing to have this conversation with him.

"I'll see you all later," she said, "Dresses, Lily?"

"Yeah, dresses," Lily repeated, "See you."

"What kind of communication is that?" Sirius asked, immature as he had ever been, "Those aren't even complete sentences: 'Dresses?' 'Yeah, dresses.'"

Sam could tell that he was trying to make her laugh and for a moment, she wished that they were back in Hogwarts, where it was safe and fun to laugh at Sirius Black and flirt with Sirius Black and smile at him and have him smile back at her...but they weren't in Hogwarts any longer. Sirius Black had left her, and there was nothing he could do to redeem himself.

"Alright," Sam said to Lily, then turned and left them all standing there without another glance. She wondered if Sirius even noticed.

Upstairs, she let herself into the room that she and Lily shared. She checked her watch and knew she only had fifteen minutes to change and Apparate down to the restaurant which she would be meeting her parents in for dinner. She put on a dark, forest green dress that wrapped around her frame. It hung loosely on her. She knew she had lost weight in the past three months, but she didn't really care. She fastened a golden chain with a pearl cross pendant that had come from her grandmother.

Ever since Sirius had left her, she had stayed true to his request that she stay with her parents, although she would have rather died then admit to anyone that she cared about what Sirius had to say. With a heavy sigh, she pulled on high black heels, grabbed her purse, in which she stowed her wand, and headed back down to the main level of the pub.

Everyone else had cleared out, Lily and James were nowhere to be seen, and when she stepped out onto the street, she didn't see Sirius nor did she see Caitlyn. Knowing that the Muggles passing quickly didn't—couldn't—see her, she willed herself to Potemkin in downtown London, where her parents had requested she meet them.

When she reappeared on the street corner, she righted herself, shook her head, then headed into the door. It was an Eastern European restaurant, with overdone décor to illustrate the culture to tourists. Of course they would bring her someplace like this.

"_Privet_," the hostess said, appearing in her braided bun and bright, embroidered costume, "Welcome to the Potemkin. How many?"

"My party is already here," Sam said carefully.

"Name?"

"Tchaikovsky."

"Right this way," the hostess took her deeper into the restaurant. Sam saw both of her parents at a circular table, talking avidly to an obviously male guest, whose face Sam could not see.

"Samantha," her mother looked up with a smile. Both of her parents' entire demeanor had changed since Sirius had left her. It was as if they were both under the impression that her thoughts, everything she had said during the ceremony had been somehow forced by Sirius. Now that he was out of the picture, they had been treating her as some sort of survivor.

"Mama," Sam thought of her promise to Sirius and managed to lighten her voice, kiss her father on the cheek as he stood up to greet his daughter, "Papa." She sat down, still not looking at the other guest, not really caring who it was, nor why he was there, "Where is everyone else?" she referred to her siblings, who she hadn't seen in a while.

"Ve have sitter," her mother said.

"Oh," Sam took a sip of the water goblet on the table.

"Lapushka, ve have someone ve vould like you to meet," her father spoke with slight hesitation, looking towards her mother for some sort of support. Her mama nodded. Sam finally looked over at the guest. He was older than she, with sun-streaked blonde hair and a strong nose and blue eyes framed by bushy eyebrows. He could have been considered handsome, but Sam saw nothing of interest.

"Zis is Dimitri Krum. After your Seerus left," her mother began and Sam felt a very tight clench of anger at her mother's easy mention of Sirius, "Meester and Meeses Potter tell us about Russian, er, _mactep_," she said, using the closest word in Russian for wizard, "And zey tell us about Meester Krum."

Sam couldn't believe it.

Her parents were setting her up with a Russian wizard after running off the only man she would ever love. She shook her head and corrected her sentiment: _had ever loved._

"Nice to meet you," Sam extended her hand to Dimitri, who took it and kissed it. She wanted to vomit.

"Is very nice to finally meet you," he said in a deep voice that she felt confident had melted the knees of, well, anyone and everyone. She just nodded, swallowing the bile that rose.

"You two make lovely couple," her mother offered with a glowing smile, placing a hand on Sam's arm.  
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"Sam," Lily shook Sam's shoulder. It was five thirty and Dumbledore had just alerted her of their first assignment of the day. They were to go to the Ministry today for paper work.

Paperwork, Lily had been told, but had yet to discover, was the bane of every Auror's existence, hours upon hours of reports and reviews that they were expected to fill out every tenth raid. Sam and she had just reached that mark yesterday. Every other team was already out in the field.

Her roommate had collapsed onto her bunk into sleep without changing out of her dinner dress, nor climbing under the blankets. Yet another evening of ruin for Sam.

Lily was secretly worried that, although Sam was the strongest girl she knew, she wouldn't be able to take much more. As she looked at her sleeping form, Lily could see that Sam hadn't been eating well, and she obviously hadn't been sleeping. It didn't matter how strong a will was, eventually, the physical toll would begin to destroy her.

"Sam," she tried again. Sam stirred gently, her eyes fluttered open and locked on the ceiling, seeing something ,remembering something that Lily would never know, "Hey, good morning."

"Hell," Sam said, sitting up and holding her head.

"Alright, well, most people call this place earth, but I've heard it both ways," Lily said, noting that Sam may need help getting up to go this morning, she put the robes which Dumbledore had requested they wear on the bed, and dug through Sam's trunk to find socks and shoes for her to change into.

"No, Lily, don't go through there—" Sam got to her feet very suddenly in an attempt to stop Lily, but Lily had the sudden feeling that she had already located the secret.

"Sam, what are—oh my."

From under Sam's only traveling cloak, a stack of charcoal drawings had been collecting. All of them were of Sirius.

Amazingly lifelike in their detail, stunning in their perspective, Sam had recorded almost every memory of Sirius on paper, from her mind, down her arm and through her hand to the page. It was a very unfeigned look into what had been their relationship, and Lily felt a terrible sensation as though she were spying on every moment that the two had had, those that she had witnessed, and those that no one had.

"Hell," Sam repeated, falling back on the bed and putting a pillow over her face, "You weren't supposed to see those," Lily heard her mumble through the pillow's material.

"I'm sorry, I didn't know," Lily stowed the pictures back under the cloak hurriedly and grabbing brown socks and shoes, laying them out on the bed. Carefully, she removed the pillow from over Sam's face. Two very large brown eyes looked up at her, "How did yesterday go?"

"Oh, last night? Dinner with my parents?" Sam seemed only too happy to forget their previous, awkward topic. Lily nodded as Sam stood up and crossed to the bathroom of their room, leaving the door open as she ran water to brush her teeth.

"Well, how are they?" Lily asked. She heard Sam spit in the sink.

"They're bloody wonderful," she replied.

"That's good," Lily had the distinct feeling that there was much more to this story than she was giving out. Sam reappeared from the bathroom and picked up the robes.

"What are these for?"

"First assignment."

"Robes?"

"No Muggles," Lily shrugged. Sam nodded in acceptance and gingerly picked up the khaki pinstripe trousers, white button down shirt, and dressed quickly. She paused as she came to the most peculiar piece of clothing.

"Suspenders." She clarified in a horrified voice and doubting expression. Indeed, Sam had been given a pair of chestnut suspenders with golden clasps, "Are _you _wearing suspenders?"

Lily laughed and nodded. She had already dressed in her robes which were identical to Sam's in design. Her pants were black, with turquoise pinstripes, her suspenders were black, her shirt was white like Sam's, and her cloak black, lined with turquoise silk. Apparently, it was protocol for Aurors to dress up when they worked in their offices.

"Fine," Sam grumbled, clipping them to her pants. She pulled on her own cloak, which was a rich brown lined with a soft red, "Where are we going, exactly?"

"Ministry," Lily relayed, "We've Reports to do today."

"That's right," Sam recalled, "I had forgotten."

Lily nodded.

"I guess we'll have to do dress shopping another day," Sam said apologetically and Lily felt guilt, cold and hard, in her stomach.

"Sam, you know I would never want you to do too much, and maybe, with this new job and everything...you don't have to work on the wedding."

As soon as she had spoken, she knew it wasn't the right thing to say. Sam had long prided herself on being as close to perfect as she could come. That definition of perfect meant doing as many tasks in such a manner as she could. After leaving Hogwarts with straight O's and other assemblages of perfect scores, as well as being a star Quidditch player, Sam had taken on the tasks of Auror and Maid of Honor.

"Lily," Sam's voice was strained and Lily saw she was trying to smile, "I. Will. Be. Fine. Okay?"

"Alright," Lily agreed.

"Excellent. Now."

They were at the pub-level of the Cauldron and stepped in front of the large fireplace which they would be using as transportation. Lily reached into her pants pocket and found it conveniently filled with Floo Powder. One thing about working for Dumbledore was that everything was perfectly in order.

"Oh yeah," Sam said, throwing her own pinch of powder into the fire. The flames flared green and Sam put one leg into the fire, "They brought someone for me to meet. So now I have an…um…a boyfriend," she stepped in and looked straight forward, "Ministry of Magic," she said clearly. The flames engulfed her and she was gone.

Lily picked her jaw up off the floor, stepped into the flames and echoed Sam's last words. She felt the emerald flames wrap around her body, warm and exceptionally comfortable. The spiraling sensation that accompanied the warmth was exceptionally disorienting, but Lily spotted the Ministry hearths and managed to step out without getting her cloak sooty nor losing her footing.

Sam was already halfway down the entrance hall, hurrying towards the fountain.

"Sam," Lily hissed after her, trying hard not to run. She had always been talented at rushing in heels, and her black pumps carried her with a series of sophisticated clicks.

"Yes?" Sam was losing ground quickly and just stopped and waited for her, as though they had been walking calmly together the entire time.

"_Your parents set you up?"_

"_Yes,"_ Sam emphasized with a wrinkled nose, "They did."

"But—" Lily was at a loss for words as they arrived at the elevator.

"Fifth floor please," Sam requested of the wizard who had been crammed into the corner of the elevator. He grumbled, moving his briefcase aside so that he could press the number five.

"Sam, that's—"

"Lily, can we talk about this later?" Sam asked with an exceptionally we're-in-public-right-now-and-we-have-to-at-least-appear-normal tone and matching face.

"Absolutely," Lily acquiesced, feeling quite put out on multiple levels.

She didn't have to wait long though. As they reached the fifth floor and pushed through the crowd to the front of the lift, they only had a few hundred yards to their own office in which the Order members did their work.

There were three of such spaces, each identical, with two large desks, one window, one door, a stack of parchment that was always ceiling-high, no matter how much they used, a wide selection of quills next to this, and a selection of colorful inks—Lily counted a dozen—for their writing pleasure. In the middle of the desks was a very imposing filing cabinet, nearly a yard wide and also standing up to the ceiling, with a stool placed next to it as so the more petite members could access the top drawers.

Sam, who was again leading their duo, hurried into the first office, Lily immediately behind her. She closed the door immediately and looked up at Sam, who was hanging her cloak over the back of her chair.

"Explain."

"Well, do you remember that wizarding family that Mr. Potter mentioned, the Russians?"

Lily nodded. Mr. Potter had made a very concentrated effort to connect to Sam on a cultural level, introducing a family named Krum, who were originally from Russia, and now lived in Bulgaria.

"Well, when I went to dinner, he was there. I suppose my parents interrogated James' dad until he gave them their number or something. But they, well, they set us up."

"Sam, you can't be serious."

Any positive emotion in her features evaporated like smoke. Lily realized the mistake in her words.

"Yes, Lily, I'm quite _serious_," she said temperamentally, "His name is Dimitri and he has blonde hair, blue eyes, and he seems quite nice."

Lily could tell that she was embellishing, but she didn't call her out on it. Sam had told Sirius that she loved him. He had told her the same thing. Yet here they were, miles apart only three months later, each going in different directions, the mention of the other a painful topic.

"I'm happy for you then," Lily decided upon the safest answer, "Maybe we could meet him sometime."

"Yes, that would be nice," Sam said, sitting on her desk and picking up her file of paperwork. Lily discarded her cloak and picked up her own file. There were thirty sheets of paper inside.

She crossed the room and chose a spiraling pink quill and a pot of indigo ink, turned back to her chair and her desk and sat down. She spun around twice then stopped and looked across the office to Lily.

"Alright, I don't know him all that well, but I have met him once and he was nice to me. You know, he said the right things, he was polite, my parents like him."

"Sam," Lily surveyed her over her stack of papers, "If he's nice to you then I like him."

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"So you and…" James looked over at Sirius as they walked along the street. They had been given the morning off, with the promise of a raid later in the day.

"Me and who?" Sirius prompted as they crossed the street to the park. The grass was green and lined with trees, but any potential park-goers had been chased off by the unseasonal clouds that were hanging in the sky.

"You and everyone, mate." James said. Sirius just snorted in derision.

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"You didn't even know that girl last night. You're skipping around picking girls up and dropping them the next second. You can't keep that up."

"Look, Prongsie, you aren't in this," Sirius smirked, "I've been with a few ladies now. What's the big deal? I haven't even broken my sixth year record—"

"Padfoot," James stopped , turning to look at him, "We aren't in school anymore and this was never about records."

"I didn't say it had to do with records, I was simply submitting that I-"

"Oh give it a rest. This is about Sam."

"This was never about Sam…"

"This was always about Sam for you. You left her and now you miss her."

Without warning, Sirius turned, stuffed his hand in his pockets but kicked the tree next to him.

"Why do you have to keep bringing her up?" he demanded.

"Why are you trying so hard to forget her? Mate, I've seen how you were with every other girl out there...and how you were with Sam."

"Was there a difference?" Sirius asked scoffingly.

"Yeah. You actually liked her."

Sirius' face darkened a shade, but his eyes maintained their nonchalance. James sighed in disappointment as he saw that this was as far as he was going to be able to press this topic. His eyes glanced over to the tree line, where he saw a quick, silver movement in the trees.

"Time to go," he announced to Sirius, who was brooding up at the sky, "That was the Patronus."

"Right." Sirius was gone before he could respond further, and James also willed himself to the location of their raid. When his lungs were allowed to expand to their full width again, he was standing in a tall field of yellowed wheat, the border of which was only a few yards in front of him. Sirius was waiting beside him and they both set off wordlessly.

As they neared the site of their tenth official raid since they had begun field work in the Order, James removed his wand from his back pocket, holding it loosely beside him. They were passing quickly through a tall green field that was on the fringe of a Muggle town west of London. From their current location, the raid location—a tall, spindly stone tower that probably could have held three Death Eaters, tops, was clearly visible on the horizon.

"Honestly," Sirius said, "are we fighting _clowns?_ How many people could fit in there? One?"

"Shut up," James said carefully, lowering his voice and lifting his wand as they started the ascent to the structure. In little more than a minute, they had silently scaled the hill and they both came to a stop in front of the stone door. James tried the handle, to no avail and he pointed his wand at the lock.

"Alohamora," Sirius was faster and the door sprung open. James stuck his foot in the door and kicked the door further inside.

It was clear when they entered that this was indeed a magical location. The interior had been magically enlarged so that it could have housed as many as twenty Death Eaters comfortably. But this room was empty, and there was only one door on the opposite side of the bare room. James spotted a ladder on the wall and when he looked up, he saw that there was a second level. And he saw a shadow move across the wall above them.

James tapped Sirius' shoulder and motioned to the ladder.

"There's someone up there," he mouthed and Sirius nodded, and in an instant he was up the ladder on the second level, James came up behind him.

"Stupefy!" James said, throwing his wand at the figure that was desperately trying to clamber through the one window. The person froze and Sirius grabbed their shoulder and knocked them to the floor.

It wasn't any of the Prewitt Brothers' Most Wanted, but James knew he had seen the witch's face somewhere before. She had black hair that was shorn close to her head and small black eyes each surrounded by a dark ring of sleeplessness. Sirius grabbed her wrist and pulled her up to her feet.

"Ennervate," James said, undoing his previous spell when he saw that Sirius had a firm grip on her wrists.

"Name," Sirius demanded.

"You're from that _Order, _aren't you? The a_rmy _that Dumbledore put together?" the witch demanded with a sickening smile.

"Name," Sirius repeated.

"Lyla Gibbon," she said, "I don't reckon that you've heard of me," she added, in a disconcerting show of altruism.

"Lyla Gibbon, you are to be taken in for questioning," James repeated tonelessly the words that they were to say upon an arrest. Sirius took her left forearm and pulled up her robe sleeve.

"No mark," he said, looking at Lyla suspiciously.

"Not yet," Lyla corrected, leering at Sirius.

"I'm sure," James said, "let's go. We'll drop her off with Dumbledore before we head to the Ministry-"

Sirius kept a very firm hold on Lyla's hands as they descended the ladder and exited the door back to the grassy hill upon which the tower was situated.

"Would you mind loosening your grip on my wrist there, Handsome?" Lyla asked Sirius with annoyance as he towed her down the hill.

"Not a chance. _Incarcerous,"_ James offered, using the rope that appeared from the end of his wand to bind Lyla's hands together. He knotted them and handed the end to Sirius.

"Oh, I'm being led like a _dog," _she said in her same disconcertingly cheerful tone, "I suppose I should be having fun...but there is another place that I'm expected. Bye bye, boys."

James turned around, wand aloft, ready for Lyla's escape attempt, Sirius followed suit, but when they turned, Lyla was already gone. Her robes lay in a heap in the grass and a grasshopper sat atop the pile.

"She's an animagus," James realized aloud, lunging for the insect, which promptly leapt away into the weeds where it disappeared.

"Shit."

"Why didn't she try that beforehand?" James demanded, running his hand though his hair in frustration.

"Should we try to catch her?" Sirius asked.

"She's gone," James said desperately, feeling guilt and shame and anger erupt inside of him, "Shit. She's gone."

They stood there for a long moment, each drinking in the horrible feeling of failure that was forced upon them. James searched the fields, but of course, didn't see her or her grasshopper form.

"We need to go file our report. Let them know that she's out there...that she's an animagi."

James took a huge breath and closed his eyes briefly, attempting to calm himself. He finally nodded.

"You're right."

"I know," Sirius said maddeningly.

"We should go back to the Cauldron and find whoever's still there. We'll get the word to Dumbledore then we...we have to change before we go to the Ministry."

Sirius rolled up his shirtsleeve and checked his watch, "It's only twelve thirty. We'll be at the Ministry by thirteen hundred. C'mon, Prongs," Sirius patted James on the shoulder, "This'll work out. It always does."

They had reached the end of the field again. They both stopped.

"Did you just tell the time in military time?" James asked, squinting at Sirius, who shrugged. With a pop, he was gone, Apparated back to the Cauldron. James shook his head, took one last look back across the field, then, turning all of his thoughts to his destination, he Apparated after Sirius.

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"Is there food in this place?" Lily groaned, hitting her head on the desk slowly and repeatedly as she toiled through her third report. Sam looked up at the clock. It was going on one in the afternoon. They had been in the office for roughly seven hours. After moving multiple times, Sam had decided that the floor suited her best. Lily had wound up relaxing on her desk, her back on the wood, her eyes unfocused on the blank ceiling.

"I don't bloody know," Sam said, putting her folder over her face like the roof on a house.

"Are you done?" Lily asked, turning on her side. The office was considerably messier than when they had entered. The assemblage of quills had been scattered around the space as they each had abandoned and adopted by Lily and Sam. Crumples of parchment were surrounding the waste basket from when Sam had suggested a friendly, short contest. In reality, it hadn't been very friendly as each of the girls was particularly competitive. Lily was actually quite awful and Sam quite good as all but two of the parchment projectiles in the bin were hers. However, Lily had refused to give up, and the game hadn't been short either. It had disintegrated when Sam had tried to propel the parchment using her wand so that it bounced off of Lily's head. When, by sheer dumb luck the parchment landed in the basket, Lily had dissolved into a bout of laughter and though Sam hadn't smiled, a few dry chuckles had managed to escape her.

"Hah. No. I have two more," Sam responded bitterly.

Sam looked up at her. She hadn't made it halfway through the first sheet when she had passed judgment on paperwork: it was hell. She sat down on the desk and laid back so that she was looking up at the blank ceiling. Anything was more interesting than this.

The questions that they were asked were ridiculously detailed: _How did the thickness of the windows and the walls compare to the average (2.54 cm)? _ Or rather, ridiculously broad: _What did you hear? _

For each raid, they were required to answer fifty questions that varied from rating their raiding experience from 1(boring) to 5(deadly), short answer questions, multiple choice questions, true or false, it was worse than any test she had taken. But she was through her seventh one already. She knew she probably wasn't doing the best job, but she was confident that the thorough work that Lily was doing would compensate for her exhaustion.

"Only two?" Lily asked with skeptical envy, "I'm only on my third."

"What can I tell you, Lils?" Sam inquired, "You're going to have to do a shoddy job."

"But Sam, this is work!" Lily emphasized, looking appalled.

"No, Lils, this is seven hours of your life that you will never get back. Think about it this way: seven hours for three…you're looking at an entire day to complete all of them. That's ludicrous."

Lily's nose wrinkled. For a moment, Sam could see her internal debate. Then: "Fine. Can I see yours?"

"Atta girl," Sam congratulated her, handing her own completed reports over.

Lily sorted them into order and busily set to copying Sam's reports with, Sam was certain, a few revisions ranging from major to minor. Sam replaced the folder on her head, finding that she preferred the plain black paper interior to the white wall. Lily's laugh brought her back to the unfortunate office.

"What?" Sam demanded.

"You're so good at fudging this the whole way. I mean, since I know you, I know you're making it up, but it's perfect."

"I'm not making it up," Sam said, frowning, "I mean, like you said, it is work so it's all true. I mean, I tell them what they want to hear in a succinct sort of way that saves time."

"Well you're good at it."

"Thanks," Sam responded. They were quiet for a while and Sam's eyes began to close beneath her make-shift sleeping mask. When the door burst open, she sat up quickly, the folder remaining on top of her head. She looked at the opened door.

"Wow," Sirius laughed quietly as he looked at her. She snatched the folder off of her head and crossed her legs, glaring up at him, "hey Prongs, they're in here." Sirius stepped aside of the doorway. James appeared, placing both of his hands on each side of the door. He met Lily's gaze and grinned. He had obviously groomed himself for his visit to the Ministry as well, his hair had been combed at least, set with water, his glasses were suspiciously straight across the bridge of his nose. It was strange seeing him looking so put together. Sirius was an anomaly as well, in a navy blue suit. He looked…nice. Sam only allowed herself a brief glance before looking at the wall behind him.

"Hey," James said.

"Hey," Lily sat up and turned to look at him again.

"We had paperwork today, too so we thought we'd come in and keep you two lovely ladies company," James said smoothly, moving so that he was standing behind Lily.

"Just finished our tenth raid," James explained.

"Thank you," Lily smiled as he put her hands on her shoulders.

"How're you, Nutcracker?" James asked, looking at Sam.

"Just fine, thank you," Sam said carefully attempting a smile and managing to turn her eyes up as if her mouth were also smiling.

"That's good," James muttered. He kissed Lily quickly then sat down at the desk she was sitting on. He picked up her stack of papers, "what are you working on?"

"Just my paperwork," Lily responded, calmly reaching for the papers he was holding. Sam saw her own, borrowed pages that the bottom of the stack and laughed inwardly at the thought of Lily trying to prevent James—arguably the leader of the Marauders who had 'shared' tests more than once—from seeing her cheat, if one was even at liberty to use that term. James noticed her trying to recon them and grinned.

"Easy there, Evans. You have something in here not for my eyes?"

"No," Lily argued huffily, "I just wanted to finish it, that's all."

"Alright," James aid fondly, handing her papers back.

"Thank you," said Lily, grabbing the papers, crossing her legs on top of the desk. James produced his own folder, put his feet lazily atop the desk and opened to the first page.

"How about a quill there, Nutcracker, if you please?" James said hopefully. Sam looked at him in exasperation. She sighed finally and stood up, "thank you," James said, obviously relieved that he wouldn't have to stand up, "and some ink?"

Sam nodded reluctantly, "You know, it isn't as if you know _magic _that would allow you to get a quill—and ink—by yourself after all," she said in acrid sarcasm as she leaned her back against the wall, next to the quills and ink.

James shrugged, "You're already up." Sam shook her head,

"Same for me there, too, Tchaikovsky."

She turned around to Sirius sitting in her desk. It was a moment of truth: should she be the bigger person of not? She shook her head—at least she could be professional, seeing as this was her profession. She turned back and grabbed a grey eagle quill and black ink for James, then chose an oversize ostrich quill whose tip was about a centimeter and a half wide and bright pink ink for Sirius. Professional didn't mean not fun. She set the quill and ink by James, then delivered the childish writing utensils to Sirius who smiled at first—she supposed in thanks—then frowned as he saw what she had given him.

"This is…_girl_ ink," he said, looking at the well.

"Something off, Black?" Sam asked, leaning one hip against the desk.

"Are those _suspenders?_" Sirius asked, turning the insults back on her.

"Shut up," Sam sneered, removing her wand and waving it at his quill. A pink crayon took the place of the pen.

"Very funny," Sirius said, snapping the crayon.

"Ooh, you're so strong," Sam mocked.

"You look like a man."

"You're such a child."

"You're the one passing out crayons."

"I'm not the one using them," Sam argued back.

"Alright. Easy there, lovebirds," James' voice joked. Both Sam and Sirius rounded on him, each obviously enraged that he had seen fit to call them that, "or not." James backed down.

Sam sat back on the floor, her back against Sirius'—her—desk and began writing her eighth report. The sound of two other quills and one half of a crayon filled the silence, the occasional turning of a page and finally a second snap of crayon. Sirius stood up and Sam watched him retrieve a normal quill and typical black ink from the back wall, completely ignoring her. That was fine: ignoring each other was probably best.

"Hey Lily?" James spoke up. Lily looked at him, eyes wide, "Why do these papers have Sam's name on them?" he grinned, waving the papers that Lily had borrowed.

"Tsk tsk," Sirius said dryly, "Cheating at work."

"Being productive at work," Sam clarified, being careful not to speak directly to Sirius. He was careful to do the same, lest they risk another 'lovebird' comment.

"What number are you on Padfoot?" James asked.

"Two."

"Me too."

"Alas, Prongsie, it seems both of us are productive."

Sam glared, but said nothing.

"Alright you two," Lily said with a laugh, but James cut her off.

"Sorry, Evans, I can't be seen speaking to a cheater."

Lily reached over and hit James in the shoulder, "How about kissing one?" she asked.

"Sure," James pulled her into him and kissed her. Sam smiled internally, then stowed her completed reports in the folder.

"So Nutcracker," Sirius' voice was cold, "how was your session with the Angel Twins?"

"Beg pardon?" his words caused her to turn and look at him, if only at a sideways glance from her profile.

"You session," he emphasized.

"I didn't have a session—" Sam started.

"Oh, really? Because you and two brothers can only be classified as a session either scheduled by you or them and it—"

"I didn't see the 'angel twins' yesterday," Sam exploded, more to make him stop than anything else.

"Wh-what?"

"I said I got their number—" Sam reached into her shirt and pulled out the small piece of paper.

"Oh, you kept it in your bra—"

"I didn't have pockets," Sam sneered back.

"Keep your money in there, too?"

"Maybe," Sam said belligerently, "It's secure. Anyone can pick your pocket, your wallet or your purse, but they aren't going to pick your bra."

"Well, actually Tchaikovsky, I don't wear a bra. But yes, sounds very secure. Would you like to finish telling about your fib?"

"It wasn't a fib," Sam argued, "I told you that I got their number and I told you I had a dinner date. If you put those two things together as one, that really isn't my fault."

Sirius was silent as he stared a spot directly over her head, "Then who was your date with, Sam?"

"My parents."

"Oh, well then," Sirius looked relieved, "You're still a bit of a hooker for putting your money in your bra."

"You're still a lot of a bloody arse."

"Shut up."

"You don't get to talk to me that way," she said quietly and he looked up at her.

"Sorry," Sirius apologised, but she looked away.

"Oh, James, Sirius," Lily spoke up, "We meant to ask you two if you'd like to go out for drinks one night. All of us together. Sirius, you could go with Caitlyn—"

"He and Caitlyn aren't together anymore," James muttered in Lily's ear, but Sam heard.

"I'm really just shocked," Sam murmured. A vial of ink came down from above her and landed on her shoulder. The thin glass broke and spilled all over her blouse, black ink bleeding down her arm, "Jesus Christ, Black, you're such an animal!" she took out her wand again and began siphoning the excess ink from herself and the surrounding area, but the major stain remained. She stood up and walked so that she was leaning against the back wall again.

"May I proceed?" Lily asked and Sam couldn't decide whether or not she was joking or angry.

"Don't look at me," Sirius said, frowning impishly. Sam crossed her arms tightly.

"So, Sirius, you would have to find someone but James and myself and then Sam and Dimitri. It would be fun," Lily finished with a happy, hopeful smile.

"Wait, pause. Who the hell is Dimitri?" Sirius asked, looking suspiciously up at Sam.

"My boyfriend," she managed to say, "My parents introduced us at dinner."

"Your parents set you up?" he looked completely different. His demeanor was now friendly but inquisitive. His tone was polite but there was something sad and confused in his face.

"If they can break me up, I don't see why it's hard to believe.

She had delivered the ultimatum, brought up the subject that had brought them to his place, but he didn't flinch.

"I guess so," he said, looking as though he were deliberating.

"Congratulations, Nutcracker, I suppose." James said politely, "and yeah, drinks sound fun." Lily coughed, looking down at her work. Had she really expected this _not_ to be the first time that Sirius had heard about her having a boyfriend? She had just told Lily herself…she had just met Dimitri yesterday…Sam put her head in her palm and pressed her forehead.

"Thanks, Potter," she said.

"Hey Sam," Lily broke in, looking to redeem herself with a new topic, "what did you put for number forty-six on the eighth raid?"

"About what we tasted in the air?" Sam clarified. Lily nodded, "I wrote: _I don't breathe through my mouth._"

She wasn't expecting it when Sirius laughed just as heartily as ever at her smart remarks.

"What?" she asked, looking at him suspiciously as Lily and James both smiled at each other, Lily writing down some modified version of her response.

"She's such a smart ass," he said to no one in particular, shaking his head. Sam would have been insulted, but for some reason, it seemed like a compliment and she just stared at him.

"Get to work, man," James ordered of Sirius with a shake of his head, "We aren't going to be allowed in here anymore," he added in disappointment.

"See, Prongs, I was under the impression that after we left school, the school bit of work would be over."

"It's _called_ work, Black."

"I know Tchaikovsky," he mimicked her and the ridiculous nature of his voice matched with his face would have made her dissolve into tears of laughter any other day. As it was, she felt something suspiciously like laughter bubble up inside of her.

She pushed herself off the wall and extended her hand to Lily, "I'm going to need those back," she said, referring to her reports.

"You're done?" Lily asked in surprise. Sam nodded as she gave her the pages.

"I'm going to drop these off and probably head back," she gave a small head shake back towards Sirius and Lily nodded.

"I guess I'll be staying with these guys until we're done," Lily told her.

"Yeah, take your time," Sam said, "I'll see you later Lils, James," she took a breath and turned around to face Sirius. Much to her dismay, he was wearing his paperwork file on his head, a perfectly innocent expression on his face. She heard both Lily and James explode in laughter and Sirius' mouth twitched, "Sirius," she nodded curtly and grabbed her cloak and exited the room, closing the door so hard that it bounced off the frame and didn't close.

She wrapped the cloak around her shoulders and fastened it as she pressed the button for the lift. She heard a scrambling in the first office as the doors opened. Sam stepped inside and pushed the ground level button and turned around.

"Tchaikovsky!" Sirius looked out of the office. She looked up for a second and caught his gaze, "Sam, I was just joshing you—"

The doors closed and Sam was left looking at her own face in the gold reflective doors.


	28. Patience Grasshopper

_Still don't own any characters that you recognize-except Samantha Tchaikovsky, you might start recognizing her now…I hope…*long silence* (I know some of you are like "uh, Tchaikovsky?" Yeah, I'm onto you.)_

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_Hum dee dum. Do I ever run out of excuses? But this one actually has a legit quality to it: I was out of town for the past two weeks in a place without a computer. No, I'm serioius. Honest to Buddha truth here, folks. But now I have this, after a few hours of slaving away..._

_It's short, I know, but honestly, it isn't the shortest, and the previous few chapters have been monstrous in size so. Yes. There's a lot coming up. It's going to be huge and I don't know if I can fit it all in eight months worth of time. After the wedding, it's all down hill from there...Again, this one is slightly more uplifting! Alright, a few things to clear up: a) James just seemed to be someone who liked carrot cake. Plus, who doesn't? Actually, I think that was the only thing I had to clear. Sorry for the false advertising. _

_A really great suggestion came to my attention that I should try to update once a week and while I would love to do that (and I consequently feel awful when I don't) I'm not sure that's going to be feasible. I start school next week, and that involves waking up at four thirty in the morning. Don't even bother asking. So... just know that I will work on this whenever possible!_

_Love always and forever, (and I really do mean that)_

_Fae _

_P.S. Oh, if all of you gracious people who add me as a favourite would just leave me a review…I would love you even more! (yes, that's a tempting offer…)_

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**Patience, Grasshopper**

"Lily," Sam called over to Lily's bed. It was the first day in a while that she was up before the red head. They had planned today for wedding preparations: dress-buying, cakes, décor, gifts—a multitude of feminine plans which were rare for the two anymore. Although neither had ever been huge, addictive shoppers, with the past fifteen weeks devoted between the field, the Leaky Cauldron and the Ministry, both were looking forward to the trip on what was their first ever day off.

Sam was happy to finally feel as if she were doing her part as Maid of Honor. She wanted little more than to help Lily and James get their life together started, but as it was, her schedule was ridiculously full, being an Auror, a girlfriend, an ex, were all exhausting.

Sam fastened a pair of golden filigree and pearl earrings to her ears. Dimitri had given then to her three nights ago, on what was technically their fifth date. It had been over two weeks since their first paper assignment at the ministry, the day that Sirius had found out about Dimitri, though he had yet to meet him. They had been swamped at the Order and Lily's dream of a Saturday night triple date had been pushed to the back burner. But Dimitri had required her to meet him for dinner at least once every week. Sam still didn't like him—the waitresses at their restaurants flirted with him more than she did—but he seemed to like her well enough.

The only time that Sam had felt particularly uncomfortable around him was when they had seen Jason Davies by chance one night out at dinner. Sam had hailed Davie with a smile and a wave but when he had approached, Dimitri's grip on her arm had tightened to circulation-cutting grip and whenever Davies had asked her a question, Dimitri squeezed even harder, disallowing her to speak. She had written it off as an over-protective tendency, but the bruise on her right wrist was still in the process of fading.

"Alright, Lily, time to rise, sunshine," Sam shook her shoulder. Lily's eyes fluttered open and focused on the clock by her bed. She sat up.

"Hey," Lily smiled blearily, "Lots of fun planned today, huh?"

"First day off so it had better be," Sam handed her a yellow dress that wrapped at her waist.

"Thanks," Lily said, taking the garment, "How's your wrist?" she added, hopping out of bed and into the bathroom.

"Getting better," Sam smiled, smoothing her red and white candy striped skirt.

"I still can't believe your watch did that," Lily shook her head as she brushed her hair, "why didn't you notice that it was too tight?"

"I'm still not sure myself," Sam looked down at her feet and put on her shoes. She hadn't told Lily—she hadn't told anyone—the real reason behind her bruised wrist. She knew that she would just worry and, for the first time in a while it seemed that Lily had ceased worrying about her.

"Well, where are we going today, Miss Maid-Of-Honor?" Lily smiled as she stood up.

"I was going to ask you before we left: obviously most of the guests are going to be wizards—"

"But I wanted—"

"A Muggle dress, I remember. So we should start in London, I guess."

"Excellent," Lily smiled, taking Sam's arm as they exited the door.

"You know, Lily, neither of us know much about wizard weddings," Sam commented, "It might be smart to ask the _groom _about any traditions we—I—should know about."

Both girls' eyes found James, who was seated at one of the wooden tables in the back of the pub, surrounded by Moony and Peter, who Sam hadn't seen in a while. The three Marauders were sharing a plate of kippers and eggs. Sirius was conspicuously absent. At first, Sam refused to ask of his whereabouts, but as they approached the three men, her curiosity got the better of her.

"Where's—"

"Oh, you weren't here last night," Lily looked at her and Sam couldn't help but feeling slightly affronted that she had known she was going to ask about Sirius. She had made a point not to talk to or about him too much…at all for that matter, "He got an owl last night that his Uncle Alphard died. Apparently he left all of his money to Sirius. He's been at Gringotts all night, sorting it all out," Lily laughed suddenly, "apparently his family's pretty miffed because, well, Sirius has everything. No one else got anything."

"Well, he's a good guy," Sam started to explain, but caught herself when she had realized what she had said. Lily was looking at her, eyebrows sky high, "Not that I would leave him anything…"

Lily shrugged, "Did Dimitri get you those?" she looked at Sam's earrings as they sat down at the Marauders' table. Sam nodded, "They're pretty."

"Thanks," Sam said, looking at Lupin's goblet of water, "Can I have some of that?" she asked of him. He looked up in surprise, but nodded through a mouthful of toast. Sam took a sip, then put it down back in front of Lupin, "Is that chocolate?" she asked, looking at the Honeydukes wrappers in front of him.

"Hey, so how's the boyfriend, Nutcracker?" James interjected.

"Fine," Sam said shortly, reaching for Lupin's water again.

"What happened to your wrist, Sam?" Peter piped. Sam turned a withering glare at her least favourite Marauder. Leave it to brain boy to notice the bruise. She took some more water and decided that if she could ignore him long enough, he wouldn't press the issue. This was _Peter _they were talking about for Christ's sake—

"Yeah, Sam," Remus chimed in and Sam took another careful sip, replaced the goblet.

"I put my wristwatch on too tightly."

"Oh."

"So…" James caught her eye and Sam had the feeling he didn't believe her, "Where are you two going today? Day off…"

"Wedding preparations," Sam said.

"We actually had some questions about what—"

The pub door open and a very tired-looking Sirius Black entered the pub.

"Hey," he said, his eyes finding them and sitting down.

"How are you?" Lily asked, looking at Sirius in the kindest, most consoling manner Sam had seen for a while. She wanted to say something… she should say something polite, consoling, but nothing came out of her mouth.

"Can I have some of this?" Sirius sat down next to Sam and picked up the goblet.

"Sure," she said, "It's not really mine…" He was already glugging down the water and put the goblet back on the table, empty.

"Thanks," he said, putting his arm on the back of her chair.

"So how was it?" James asked Sirius.

"Fine. Whatever. You know how the goblins are. They were the ones who sent the owl about me collecting the inheritance, they had all of my paperwork, they fingerprinted me, they did all of this…goblin magic, I don't know, I guess to verify who I was and then they wouldn't give me the money. They're bloody ridiculous," he took a breath and shook his head, "I finally got out of there a few hours ago."

"Where'd you go then?" asked Remus. Sirius put a key on the table.

"What the hell is that?" James said after a moment of non-explanation from Sirius.

"I got a flat."

"Come again?" Sam couldn't keep her mouth shut. The idea of Sirius actually moving anywhere but backwards in the great game of life was practically impossible.

"I'm moving out!" Sirius announced to James, and both men broke into laughter. James thumped Sirius on the back and Lupin shook his hand with a huge smile. Peter looked a little lost. Sam looked at Lily, who seemed to share her doubt of Sirius' ability to make it on his own.

"Congratulations!" Remus said, sitting back down.

"You just walked out of there and found a place?"

"Yeah, it's real nice, actually. There's a bedroom and a bath and a kitchen and there's a garage for the bike."

"Sounds perfect," James said, still grinning, "Hey, how are you telling my mum that you're moving out? She isn't going to take that well."

Sirius shrugged, "I know, but it had to happen sometime, right?" For no apparent reason, he turned to face Sam, who continued looking at the water goblet, "Right, Tchaikovsky?"

Sam made a noncommittal noise that utilized her vocal cords only somewhat. Sirius was unaffected and grabbed her hand gingerly.

"What happened to your wrist?"

"I put my bloody watch on too bloody tight, okay?" Sam snatched her hand away and put both of her arms under the table, away from view.

"Alright," Sirius said, putting his hands up in a show of innocence as he raised his eyebrows in confusion to her overreaction, "What are you two all dressed up for anyway?"

"We're going dress shopping," Lily told him, "Dresses for me and Sam and then Alice and I really didn't ask anyone else to be a bridesmaid so probably just us three. And then décor, flowers…anything else?" she asked of Sam.

"No, though you wanted to ask James…" Sam prompted. James' ears perked up.

"Oh yes," Lily brightened, "Are there any special wizarding wedding traditions Sam should be aware of?" James looked to Sirius and Remus then started to laugh, "What?" Lily demanded, reddening slightly.

"We aren't a different _culture_, Evans," Sirius said.

"Wizards, Muggles, we all do things the same way."

"But don't you wear robes to formal events?" Lily asked, looking confused.

"Well, yeah, but the girls don't," Sirius said, without any style whatsoever. Lily officially blushed.

"Oh, well, then…"

"We could come with you," James offered suddenly, "You know, make sure you stay within—"

"Sorry Potter," Sam said, standing up and squeezing behind Sirius' chair, "the Muggle tradition of not seeing the bride before the wedding day remains intact."

"What's that other bogus ritual…"Sirius looked as though he were searching his brain, "Something junky, something true, something stolen…"

"Something old, new, _borrowed_ and blue?" Lily helped him, standing herself.

"That's the one," Sirius grinned, "like I said: junky, true, stolen...f...roo." He finished with a hopeless smile, "So do you get to wear something junky Tchaikovsky? Or are you in charge of stealing?"

"What else do Muggles do, Evans, Tchaikovsky?" Remus interrupted, looking mildly interested.

"You'll have to see," Sam said dryly, "It should be entertaining to you. It's almost as if we're a different culture," she added, turning to follow Lily, who had already begun to walk towards the door.

"Take care of her Sam," James asked. Sam nodded, then turned around.

"Hey, Tchaikovsky."

She turned back to a breakfast roll that was flying through the air at her. She reached up and caught it easily before it hit her face. She stared in disbelief at Sirius, who was looking at her oddly.

"What the hell?" she asked, tossing the bun back.

"You're right handed," he said simply, as the rest of the Marauders looked on in bewilderment. Sam would have said something smart, but it seemed to her as if he had reached a new level of stupidity, so instead she turned around and walked out.

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"Well?" Lily asked, throwing back the dressing room curtain for the eighth time that day, presenting herself yet again to Sam, who was seated in one of the store's couches, her feet tucked up under herself. To each and every wedding dress thus far, Sam's nose had undeniably wrinkled up in obvious dislike. This time was no different, "Again?" Lily demanded.

"I didn't even say anything—" Sam started to argue.

"You don't have to," Lily sighed, "What's wrong with this one?"

"Lils, you look like you're…like you're a cake," Sam said carefully, referring to the countless tiers of silk and lace confection that swirled around Lily's ankles. Sam had artfully compared her to a mermaid (to which Lily couldn't help but to take offense, having seen actual mermaids), a matron, a nun, an opera singer, an exotic dancer (admittedly, Lily had tried that on just for fun), a Bond girl, and now a cake.

"A pastry?" Lily clarified.

"I think we had better go with the Bond girl…" Sam looked over at the mountain of dresses. Lily hitched up her skirts and flounced over to flop onto the couch next to Sam. Her skirts flew everywhere as she sat, frothing over to cover both girls.

It really had been a successful day. Lily had picked out invitations for their guest list of no more than fifty people. Afterwards, they had found a small bakery that was open and willing to take on an appointment for the upcoming summer. As the ceremony would be small, it was not necessary for the cake to be huge—not to mention the frugal funds between the couple. Lily had refused to take the Potter's generous offer to pay for the wedding, saying that it was tradition for the bride's family to do so and, seeing as she was her own closest thing to a family, she would be paying. James had offered help, as had Sam, and, after an evening of crunching numbers, Lily had grudgingly agreed.

Thus, after choosing a cake with three small, square layers, covered in plain but elegant white fondant with a carrot and cream cheese interior—James' favourite—Lily and Sam had left their first two engagements feeling relatively successful. But as they sat amidst the lace and perfume of the store, the quiet sobs of happy mothers in the background as other wedding dresses were chosen, Lily could feel the mood falling quickly.

"I have one more," she said, standing up and again hoisting her skirts up to allow herself to walk. Sam laughed.

"That dress is ridiculous."

"I know," Lily said, closing the curtain again. She was able to quickly undo the fastenings and stepped out of the white monstrosity, hanging it back on its padded hanger. She reached up for the final dress and put it on quickly, "Ready?" she asked, sticking her head out and looking seriously at Sam.

"This is the one I picked out, isn't it?" Sam inquired and Lily nodded, "I see you waited until very last to try it on…"

"Oh give it a rest. Lily stepped out.

Immediately, she knew that something had changed in Sam's mind. Her nose didn't wrinkle, but her eyes widened and her mouth opened just a little.

"Lily Evans…" she trailed off, standing up and walking around Lily.

"You like it?" Lily asked hopefully. Sam stopped in front of her and took her hands.

"Come see," she pulled her over to one of the countless mirrors. Lily stepped in front of it.

The dress was shorter than the floor-length ones she had tried on before, reaching down right above her ankles, right below her knees. The silk was the faintest shade of blue, which was enhanced beautifully by her red hair, had a layer of beaded lace embroidered with tiny, dainty flowers, leaves and vines of fine silver cording. The bodice was formfitting, illustrating her fit, feminine figure, then fell outward in a moderately voluminous skirt. The top had no straps but a neckline like the top of a heart, with scalloped edges along the décolletage and the hem where the lace ended.

"It's short," was the first thing Lily could think to say.

"You're eighteen, Lils," Sam reminded her, "You're young, and this dress is young...this dress...this dress is _for you_ Lily. It's perfect."

Lily turned her eyes to Sam, who was looking intermittenly between Lily and Lily's reflection in the mirrors. Sam met her gaze and, incredibly, smiled at her.

"Now I know it's right," Lily said with a smile. She stepped towards Sam and wrapped her into a hug which Sam returned.

"I was right!" Sam said triumphantly when they broke apart, "Lily you are so pretty."

"Thank you," Lily said quietly, still smiling but feeling something suspiciously like tears beginning in her eyes, "We have to get you a dress yet," she said, looking back at the mirror for one last look.

"I'll go talk to the salesperson," Sam said, and when Lily looked back up at her, the smile was gone again. But it had been there, and even a smile for a few seconds was better than none. Lily returned to the dressing room and removed the gown, placed it carefully back on the hanger and replaced her own clothes. She stowed the dress safely in the garment bag and then stepped back out into the main store.

"Well?" she asked as Sam returned from her conversation with the sales girl.

"You can pick it up a week before the wedding," Sam relayed, "They'll keep it stored for you until then," she said, motioning to the waiting sales girl. Lily handed her the dress.

"This is one of my favourites," the girl said with a large smile as she took the back and folded it neatly over her arm, "And you're so pretty," she added, "When is your wedding?"

"Next summer," Lily began to share with the tiny, black haired girl, but Sam put her hand on her elbow.

"Lily, I think it's time to go," she said pointedly, nodding out the window discreetly. Lily snuck a glance and saw the unmistakable flash of a Patronus.

_On their day off?_

There was no denying it: it was time to go, back to the Order, back to work. The fun was over.

"Thank you—" Lily quickly read the girl's nametag, "—Jane. But my friend and I are late for an engagement…"

"Lils," Sam said with a bit more urge and Lily saw another Patronus go by.

"Thank you for everything. I will be back to pick that up…later then," Lily smiled and shook Jane's hand then linked arms with Sam and headed out of the store. They looked both ways down the street to find the best place to Apparate, chose the right handed side and proceeded to the end of the sidewalk.

"Something happened," Sam said in a quiet voice, "Something bad happened. They made sure that we had this day off because all of our raids were clear and to send two patronuses…" she trailed off, and Lily could hear the worry in her voice. Lily could feel her own concern. Sam had multiple valid points and as Lily could only begin to imagine what horrors were being wrought at the current moment—she forced the thought of her parents from her mind—and she walked a bit faster.

At the end of the street, she willed herself to the Leaky Cauldron.

When she reappeared outside of the Cauldron's doors, Sam was already holding the door open. They both hurried inside. Much to Lily's dismay, the entire Order was surrounding a group of tables with very official looking pages on the table. Dumbledore was at the head of the table, looking gravely at his audience and talking in a hushed voice.

"Misses Evans and Tchaikovsky, over here, if you please," he said, spotting them, "There has been a string of attacks. We suspect that they were synchronized, at least a dozen throughout the country. They are attacks on Muggles and wizarding communities alike…it is unlike anything I have ever seen before. There have been no reported casualties as of half an hour ago, but numerous injuries. There are suspects to be questioned, scenes to be processed, memories to be rectified…" Dumbledore trailed off, looking troubled, "I will be sending you out in pairs, as per usual as I have decided that the safest way for all of you to help sort everything out. Misters Prewitt have locations for each team," Dumbledore said, and Lily and Sam stepped near each other, every other raid team did the same.

"Ah, Professor," Fabian Prewitt cleared his throat and nodded to the already-partitioned teams.

"Oh, you will not be in your raid formations," Dumbledore said, as though just remembering, "Mister Prewitt, you have those too, as well."

"Right," Fabian looked down at his list, "Jones, Longbottom, you'll be in London. That's the big one." Fabian and Giddeon continued down the list of names and, two by two, obviously in male-female pairs, each made their way out of the Cauldron and Disapparated to their given locale.

"Potter, Evans, you'll be in Northampton, lots of memory work to be done there," Giddeon announced and Lily looked up to see James striding towards her. She hadn't seen any of the Marauders when she and Sam had first entered. His face was painted with concern and he took her arm as they waited for the verdict on Sam and Sirius' partners and locales.

"Tchaikovsky, Black to Crowley, there was an old factory where the perpetrators were thought to have been seen," Fabian told the two. Sam's face was set before he finished his sentence. She obviously wasn't thrilled. Sirius had a slightly different look. He wasn't thrilled either, but he looked much more willing than Sam and Lily realized that her smiling incident may have embittered her even farther.

"Oh, but you can't Apparate," Giddeon added as Sam started for the door. Sam stopped dead and turned around, face drained of any humor.

"Come again?" she said in a whisper.

"All of the Muggle police beat us to that particular scene. Dumbledore has decided that it isn't safe to Apparate to that area," Giddeon explained, looking disconcertedly at Sam's expression.

"Then how the _hell _are we supposed to get there?" Sam asked. Sirius stepped directly behind her.

"I have a motorcycle," he reported to the Prewitts with an innocent expression, but it was obvious that he was enjoying this moment very much.

"That would be perfect," Fabian said.

"Excellent," Sirius said. He turned and walked out, followed by James who was in turn followed by Lily and then Sam. They reconfigured on the sidewalk.

"I suppose we'll see you both in a little while," Lily stepped next to James, who took her hand. Sam remained distinctly apart from Sirius.

"Have fun on the bike," James said with a grin, "Ever ridden before, Nutcracker?"

"As a matter of fact, I have," Sam said with an unreadable look.

"Right, see you Prongs, Evans," Sirius turned down the street and began to stalk away. Sam looked slightly flustered and turned to yell at him. Lily turned and pulled James after her.

"You wouldn't tell me where you and Sam went," James said after a moment, holding her tightly as they proceeded to the door, "When you didn't come with the first Patronus…"

He trailed off and Lily understood why he had looked sick. She cupped his face gently on the side.

"I'm not going to leave you, James Potter."

"Thanks," James said weakly with a small smile. Lily straightened his glasses and ran her hand through his hair, reveling in the way that it stood up in its ridiculously attractive way, as they made it to the end of the street.

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"Where are you going?" Sam demanded as she caught up with Sirius on the sidewalk. He turned around to face her.

"Just wait here," he gestured to a Muggle bus stop on the side of the road, "I'll bring the bike around in a minute."

"I certainly will not—" Sam began to argue, but he had already Disapparated. Sam crossed her arms but, seeing as she really didn't know to where he had disappeared, she sat down on the horrible green, plastic bench. Clouds had began to form above them and rain began to fall in slight drizzles and Sam was slightly thankful for the thin, three-section divider that surrounded the bench.

"Oh, it's you!" a voice pulled her out of her trance of watching the rain fall in a splash on the road. Due to some atrocious coincidence, Number Two, of the Angel Twins, was standing in front of her, a newspaper over his blonde hair.

"Oh, hello," Sam echoed faintly, feeling as though nothing could hate her more than the universe at this point in time.

"Mind if I sit?" Number Two asked, sitting down anyway.

"Absolutely…not…" Sam said as he took the seat, shooting a smile her way.

"I never heard from you," he said, sounding slightly put out as he folded the newspaper.

"I—I don't even know your name," Sam said, slightly embarrassed at all situations.

"Daniel," he said with another smile, "You can just call me Dan, though."

"Nice to meet you, Dan," Sam said, trying desperately to find some excuse to leave, or, even better, get Dan to leave.

"Nice to meet you—"

"Samantha," she said, "You can just call me Sam, though."

Dan beamed to hear his words given back to him, "What are you doing out here, by yourself, then? In the rain, without a coat?"

All very good questions, Sam thought, "I'm waiting for someone."

"Any relation?" Dan pressed lightly.

"Uh, co-worker," Sam said.

As if on some corny cue, Sirius pulled up to the sidewalk, on his beautiful black bike. Somehow, he had managed to grab a leather jacket and two helmets, one of which he removed and put under his arm. As he approached her, carrying a bundle, his eyes locked onto Dan. Sam could see the recognition in his eyes, as he matched a face with a name or rather, a mocking title.

"Hey, you ready?" he asked of her, tossing her a black trench coat that she caught neatly. Dan stood up and offered his hand to Sirius.

"Daniel Rane," he said, "Just wanted to keep your co-worker company while she was alone."

"Oh, she can take care of herself," said Sirius easily and Sam was shocked to realize that he actually thought that about her. She couldn't help it. She was slightly flattered.

"Yeah, I could tell." Dan said, "It was nice seeing you," he said to Sam, shaking her hand as well.

"You too," Sam said, "And I still have your number."

"She keeps it in—" Sirius began with an evil grin, but Sam's fist found his gut before he could finish, "She kept it," he amended.

"Alright, well, I'll see you around," Dan picked up his paper again and set off down the road without a look back.

"Hate to see Gabriel go," Sirius said, "But we have a job to do." He offered his arm, but revoked it, "Put on your coat, then," he said and Sam glanced at him suspiciously before unraveling the balled-up garment. Much to her surprise, it was a women's coat that fit her quite nicely when she tied the belt on the trench.

"Where did you get this?" she asked carefully.

"Don't question, accept, Tchaikovsky," Sirius handed her a helmet at he straddled the bike. Sam swung her leg over the rear of the long leather seat and fit the helmet over her head. She folded her hands stubbornly in her lap. Sirius looked back over his shoulder and laughed at her sitting so on the bike, "Sam?"

"What?" she demanded, knowing exactly what he was about to say.

"You're going to have to hold on."

It may have had to do with the force that was exerted on her as they pulled away so quickly and she needed something to hold onto, or maybe, somewhere in the back of her mind, part of her really did want to hold onto his waist but either way she wrapped her arms under his own and clasped them in front of his chest as they sped through the rain.

Sam was quite sure that they were exceeding the speed limit and it was only half an hour before they pulled off of the highway and onto the small road that led to a sign proclaiming them to have entered the town of Crowley.

It was immediately evident that the Death Eaters had rampaged through Crowley. The evidence was everywhere. Some of the doors of the residences had been blown off, roofs damaged, gardens destroyed, vehicles flipped on their hoods. As Giddeon had predicted, the Muggle coppers were running rabid through the streets, their cars stationed every few hundred yards, lights and sirens spiraling in the growing gloom.

In a very neat show of both driving skill and spacial awareness, Sirius swung the bike through an opening between buildings, the narrow crevice hiding them well. He hadn't turned off the engine before Sam had released her grip on him and lept lightly off of the bike.

"We could have Apparated. Easily," she assessed with slight bitterness.

"I enjoyed the ride," Sirius argued lightly with a grin. Sam tossed her helmet to him and he placed both next to the motorcycle.

"Of course," Sam said simply as they started back out to the main road. They stopped at the crossroads and scanned the area. On the far side of the city, Sam spotted what she supposed was the factory that the Prewitts had referenced. She felt a slight twist in her stomach as her mind fully realised what is was that she was about to do. This was a real assignment. There were very real, very capable adversaries hiding in that building, the one she was about to enter.

Although, she wasn't alone, and, to some extent, that comforted her greatly. She snuck a glance at her partner for the day, Sirius Black, who was standing with his easy confidence magnified by the black leather jacket. She felt a little safer.

"Let's go, then," Sam said, pulling up the collar on her coat as they slipped through the back streets, along the destroyed roads and closer all the while to the factory.

"So how was your morning off?" Sirius asked with great interest, putting his hands in his pockets as they fell into the shadow of one of the apartment complexes.

"Why are you being so…_nice?"_ she demanded, realizing that this was what had been bothering her about his actions as of late. He hadn't been picking at her as readily, he had been interested and polite.

"I'm allowed to be nice," he scoffed back, "and so are you," he muttered.

"Wands out, Black," she said carefully.

"Not yet, Tchaikovsky," he countered, placating her with his hand on her arm. He nodded up towards a large swarm of policemen, only a hundred yards or so off, all communing about the ruin of the place.

They hurried onward and the rain began to come down steadily with definite, eager drops hitting her hair with every step. She moved closer to the relative safety of the building's overhang, where at least her right side could be dry. As they reached the end of the most recent alleyway, Sam saw the warehouse dead ahead.

"Wands out?"

"They sure as hell better be," Sirius said, his voice muted very suddenly, his eyes turned upwards. Sam followed his gaze.

Over the warehouse, the Dark Mark marred the sky.

"Bloody hell," Sam murmured, her eyes trained on the ugly skull and serpent winding its way through the sky. Accompanying her exclamation was an uprising of shouts as the Muggles saw the Mark as well. This was awful.

"We have to get in," Sirius said, producing his wand and starting towards the warehouse at an honest pace. Sam quickened her own feet to keep time with his longer strides. With a quick swish of his wand, Sirius unlocked the warehouse's back gate and they filed through. There was a door in front of them and they paused on the threshold, "Sam," Sirius held out his arm to stop her progress through the frame.

"What are you doing?" she demanded.

"Maybe you...you should...stay here?" he offered, looking pained. Her temper flared tremendously. So he didn't think she could keep up? That she was somehow inferior to him?

"I'll take back, you go around front," she ordered simply. Sirius started to argue, but she ducked under his arm and entered the darkened warehouse.

There really couldn't have been a better setting for their raid. Obviously an abandoned factory, the brick walls shut out most light, a small amount rained down from the roof-high, foot wide windows that spotted the walls every ten yards or so. There were, from what she could see, two floors, the lower one with a maze of hallways and support beams, the second one filled with machinery and pipes. Sam lifted her wand and stepped forward, her feet silent on the ground.

She heard a skittering noise above her, and she whirled to face the direction from which it had come, but there was nothing that she could see. Somewhere in here, Death Eaters of unknown quantities lurked. Somewhere, Sirius Black patrolled the same grounds as she.

She turned back to her original direction, choosing a slim hallway created by a throng of wide iron beams. They were painted red, she could see from her close proximity. But this hallway was clear. Another noise met her ears, this time closer, around the corner perhaps? She wished she hadn't split up with Sirius. How many times in History of Magic had a wizard been harmed by friendly casting? She didn't want to be the one responsible for Sirius' hair catching fire or his memory being blown, his body turned inside out...

She had come to the crossroads. A second hallway crossed this one, which had a dead end. Sam examined the corner of the beam and found it dry. She had figured there to be perspiration on a beam which someone had already passed. An exhaled breath, a sweaty hand placed there for support...She stepped quickly, wand first, into the second hall, rapidly turning both ways. The coast was indeed clear. The noise came again, closer still. It was most definitely human but friend or foe was the question.

Her ears were roaring with the silence, exploding with the tiniest of noises. Her mouth was dry and her eyes open wide as they tried to ascertain every ounce of light that they could. And then, her worst fear was realised as a hand touched her shoulder. She had forgotten to watch her back.

"I didn't like the idea of splitting up," said Sirius in her ear. She took a sharp intake of air as her body forced the injection of adrenaline out of her bloodstream. For some reason, her heart didn't slow down as she turned to face him.

"You bloody arse," she wrenched his hand from her shoulder.

"What did I do now?" Sirius demanded in a whisper, looking upset.

"You snuck up on me," Sam turned away, again holding her wand aloft.

"Sorry," he said in a genuine tone, and she allowed herself a furious glare over her shoulder. He looked completely serious. She didn't say anything in response, "No, really, Sam. I'm sorry," he deadpanned, metting her eyes.

"Fine, apology accepted," she whispered, "Now would you please skirt around to the other end? We can cover more area that way," she requested, folding her arms stubbornly. He stood for a moment, surveying her, then finally shrugged.

"As you wish."

He turned around and sauntered back off in the direction he had come. After ensuring that he was indeed leaving her be, she again picked up her pace and started off in the direction from which the skittering had come.

Sirius seemed to have disappeared, for once again, silence fell over the warehouse. The afternoon light was slipping from the window panes and darkness was encroaching on the dead centre of the place. Feeling an instictive want to have something solid against her back, Sam turned against the cement wall, her body hidden in shadows as she inched along the perimeter. A noise came from above her on the second level, and her head snapped up to view the mesh metal platform that hung above her. Her only view was of the perimeter and a few feet within. Everything else was blocked.

The end of her wall came and, looking carefully about each edge, she stepped into the opening.

At once, it seemed as if she was surrounded.

"Crucio!" was the first word she heard from her enemy. Somehow, the jerky arch of her back allowed the curse to whip by her.

"Stupefy!" she shouted, and she heard the _oomph_ from her foe as her stunning spell made contact. Somewhere from inside the building-she couldn't tell where, she heard her name shouted.

"Crucio!" another voice from the other side tried again, but she threw up her shield in time. The curse bounced off and volleyed back to its conjurer. A masculine cry of pain rose to the ceiling as his own curse wreaked havoc on his body. Sam jumped back into the shadows, her wand trained on the man. The other Death Eater was thoroughly stunned.

Jerkily, the man straightened himself, and the dying sun glinted off of the metallic mask that shielded his face. He pointed his wand at her.

"Avada Kedavra."

Sam's arm was frozen at her side. She was unable to lift her wand and defend herself from this man...

He crumpled and the cold glint of his mask faded as his face hit the cement. Sirius stood behind him, wand raised, eyes fierce.

"My God," Sam murmured, looking at the figure on the ground.

"Are you alright?" Sirius demanded, stepping over the Death Eater.

"Yeah. Yeah, I'm alright," Sam said, looking up at him. The fire in his eyes seemed to have diminished somewhat and she tore her own eyes away.

"I reckon those were the only two then," Sirius pocketed his wand and returned to the dead man. He pulled off the mask.

"Who is it?" Sam managed, unable to look at the man that had nearly killed her, who Sirius had killed.

"Dunno," he said, "No one on the Prewitt's list anyway."

"What about her-" Sam turned, but with a horrible shot of shock, she saw that the female Death Eater had disappeared. She whipped her wand back out. Sirius, noticing her sudden halt of speaking, looked over at the lack of suspect. He slowly pulled his wand out as well. Sam, facing one way, felt Sirius' body suddenly very close to hers. Checking over her shoulder, she saw he was standing back-to-back with her, "What_ are_ you doing?" she asked, before desperately lighting the end of her wand in an attempt to see about the place.

"Making sure your back is covered," he said, his voice tense.

"Why didn't she curse us if the stun was undone?" Sam demanded, leaning towards the dark.

"Of course..." Sirius muttered mysteriously, stowing his wand again, "C'mon," he said more loudly, "She's gone." He began moving towards the exit.

"But how do you know?" Sam demanded, tripping blindly over some pipe that was lying on the floor, "Bloody Hell," she grumbled as she hit her shin on yet another protrusion from the floor, "How can you see?" she asked bitterly. Sirius' hand found her wrist and he deftly guided her towards the door. When he pushed it open, a small corridor of sunset fell into the warehouse.

"There we are," he said with a smile, holding the door open for her.

"Thank you," she said resentfully, stepping carefully towards the outside. She heard a tiny crunch as her left foot made contact with the floor. Looking over her shoulder, she examined the sole of her shoe. She had stepped on a grasshopper.

"I wonder how much paperwork I'm going to have to fill out for that one," Sirius said. Sam looked up at him. He was smiling at her. She had smiled once today already, thus her streak was broken. She couldn't officially start another streak until tomorrow, so what was one more?

She smiled back and he laughed, putting his arm around her shoulders and squeezing lightly before letting go.

"What?" she asked.

"I'm just glad you're okay."

"Thanks to you," she said quietly. He looked sideways at her.

"Next time, we sure as hell aren't 'splitting up.'"


	29. Jack O' Lantern

_Still don't own any characters that you recognize-except Samantha Tchaikovsky, you might start recognizing her now…I hope…*long silence* (I know some of you are like "uh, Tchaikovsky?" Yeah, I'm onto you.)_

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_Wow…I think I told one of you that this chapter would be out within the week….three weeks ago. Um, so I know you all might be slightly upset at my obvious inability to update, but the truth is that I blew off four AP U.S. Government assignments to get this chapter out. In the very end, I'm exceptionally happy that I am finally getting this out there—just so I can start the month of waiting time over again. _

_I promise you all that when I am not in school or doing homework or cooking dinner or cleaning dishes or falling asleep at random intervals—speaking of, can one develop narcolepsy?—I really am trying to work out what's going to happen in the next chapter. _

_However, I don't know about all of you, but I'm getting sort of tired of waiting for Lily and James' wedding. I can't wait! It's so exciting. So if I continue the trend of skipping days, don't freak out. I promise you: Good things are about to happen!_

_So about this chapter: just wanted to explore the psyches of the characters a little more, get all of you to know Mr. Dmitri Krum a little bit better (hem hem—I hate him—hem hem) and of course, spend a little more time with all of our friends._

_One more point: someone won the contest, so congrats to that person and I hope all of you will still review! Youmustyoumustyoumustmustmust REVIEW! (and make them long and full of great words. Complain about your day, my story, my sadistic need to torture my characters. Compliment the wondrous way that I weave words through my stories. Express concerns that I will never finish this story! Whatever.)_

_So here's to patient readers and exhausted authors! Huzzah! (but mostly, cheers to any of you that have stuck with me to the end…although it's typically bitter.)_

_Love always,_

_Fae_

_P.S. any typos are due to the fact that my eyes keep crossing with fatigue so that even after proof-reading this three times, I miss those mistakes. _

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**Jack O'Lantern**

It had snuck up on every one of them silently. If it had been a Death Eater, James was certain they would have died. But it wasn't a Death Eater. It was a holiday.

It was Halloween.

It had only been two days since the Death Eater-induced catastrophe that had killed their first and only day off, and already James was looking forward to the aspect of perhaps another chance to take a break from their work. Truth be told, being an Auror was nothing short of exhausting. It was exciting as hell though, and the fact that he was doing it alongside Lily made it multiple times better. In fact, as long as Lily was around, James felt as though he could have worked the entire year, without stopping. Be that as it was however, he was still excited about a holiday. A holiday meant that Dumbledore wouldn't have choice but to give them the day off; he hoped Voldemort would feel the same way towards his Death Eaters.

"I have it!" Lily announced. James eyes focused on her beautiful face. He had been staring at her the entire time, but as his thinking process had increased, his eyes had fallen out of focus. As he looked at her, he saw her eyes were smiling at him.

"What?" Sam said vaguely, holding her injured wrist. Yesterday, after much complaining of pain in the area of her bruise, and an ensuing diagnosis by Fabian Prewitt -who happened to have worked at St. Mungo's for a few years after he had graduated from Hogwarts—it had been discovered that Sam's bone had been bruised. Of course, this only added onto James' original suspicion that Sam's watch hadn't been the basis of her injury. Exactly what else could have hurt her, what could have caused her to lie, James had no idea.

"We should all dress up and go out for drinks," Lily announced with so much enthusiasm that James found himself agreeing already-although he hated costumes. That was something all of the Marauders shared. After all, they all possessed the greatest disguises already.

James had been debating for months over whether or not to tell Lily about his being an Animagus. Of course, he couldn't just reveal himself. If he were to tell her, the whole story would come out as well. He wouldn't solely be betraying his own secret, but that of his three best friends as well.

But of course, Lily was his best friend now, as well as being his fiancée. He wanted to tell her. He wanted everything to be known between them, and promised himself that he would come clean before their wedding. That gave him seven months to clear this plan with the other Marauders.

"I like it," Sam acquiesced tonelessly.

Sirius shrugged. Lupin followed suit. Peter was absent. All eyes turned to James.

"Sounds great," he said, and Lily beamed. James couldn't help but noticing the accusing glares of both Sirius and Lupin: apparently he was supposed to be the one to dissuade Lily.

"Do _we_ have to dress up, though, Evans?" Sirius demanded carefully, "I mean we aren't all eight years old..."

"Oh, yes, Lily," Sam chimed in, "Sirius turned nine and he's much too old for all of our Halloween shenanigans."

Sirius shoved her with his shoulder and Sam laughed.

Sirius and Sam had been getting on exceedingly well, which, James knew, only meant that they were bound to have some semblance of an outrageous argument and cease speaking for a few days, rotating them yet again, to square one. Although, James had admit, Padfoot had been doing an admirable job of trying to win Sam back ever since she had started going out with Dmitri Krum.

"Yes, Sirius, you have to dress up," Lily clarified, "That's part of Halloween."

"Lily," Lupin began rationally, "You are already a witch. Sam is too. We're all wizards, none of us are vampires..."

"I dressed up as a witch for Halloween when I was six. I had a black dress and a cape, and a broom," Lily said distantly, ignoring Lupin's cool logic.

"I was a ghost that year," Sam joined in, "We took old sheets and cut two holes in for the eyes."

Everyone turned an eye to Sam.

"What?" she demanded defensively, "Money was tight that year!"

"I wonder how Nearly-Headless Nick would feel about your costume," James commented fairly. Sirius and Lupin snickered, Lily smiled and Sam's eyes turned up in appreciation of his humor.

"So you're telling me I have to find a bloody _costume_ to wear in _public_?" Sirius demanded.

"Oh yes. The damage that such a scheme will cause to your public image will be irreversable," Sam said in the same dry voice.

"Are you going to tell me that I have to find a date next?" Sirius said, half-joking.

"Well," Lily began, apologetically, "I'll be going with James, Sam will be taking Dmitri?" she phrased it as a question shot at Sam, who nodded, "And then you two will be left by yourselves. If you're alright with that..."

"You could always go together," Sam suggested.

"Shut up, Tchaikovsky," Sirius snapped, looking particularly put out.

"Just saying..." Sam said, standing up.

"Where are you going?" Sirius asked, his anger extinguished immediately.

"I'm going to go call Dmitri and ask him about going," Sam said, "And then I'm going to have to go find a costume, aren't I?"

"I have a sheet at my flat you could use," Sirius offered, the only hint of joshing in his eyes, "You'd have to come over and get it though..."

Sam looked up at him with a strange expression on her face.

"W-Would you mind giving the innuendos a rest?" she asked quietly. Ah, here we go, James thought. The Great—but entirely expected—Falling Out. Sirius, who had already begun to smile at his own brilliance, looked horribly confused. After a moment of awkward silence between everyone, Sam finally just nodded, "thanks," she said before turning around and walking out of the pub.

Everyone quietly looked at their drinks as Sirius began to wrap his brain around what had just happened. Finally: "What the hell did she mean?"

"Well..." Lily was the only one to speak up, but she faltered at the expectant look on Sirius' face.

"She didn't mean to stop, did she?" he prompted, a grin beginning to resurface.

"Well, actually mate, when she said stop...I think she meant stop," James said. Lily nodded.

"For good though?"

"At least until further notice," Lily speculated, also rising.

"Where are _you_ going?" James asked.

"I've a costume to find as well," Lily said, laying a Sickle on the table, which James assumed was meant to pay for her lunch. He picked it up and flipped it easily through his fingers before presenting it back to her.

"You really think I'm going to let you pay?" James smiled at her.

"_Yes_," Lily emphasized.

"Well, I'm not," James said, "That's ridiculous."

Lily stared at him, then her shoulders slumped forward in defeat, "Fine," she said, "Thank you."

"You're very welcome," James said, "Now when and where are we all meeting for this soiree?"

"Er..." Lily looked as though she were wracking her brains.

"We could always come here," James offered.

"Sure," Lupin spoke up, "because it isn't as if we don't patronize this place frequently."

"True."

"Maybe we could go to a Muggle pub," Lily suggested. It was quiet as the idea sunk into everyone's brains, "It could be fun. We'd see a different crowd, and we _have_ been here quite frequently."

"We've been living here," Lupin added and Lily nodded.

"I haven't," Sirius said, but he didn't even smirk.

"Muggle pub it is," James said, looking to Sirius for some sort of confirmation or negation. He was just staring blankly at the back wall, but James could see his brain working out some problem, "Right. So what time then?"

"Uh... we'll all meet at nine?"

"Absolutely," James said, agian agreeing for all the Marauders.

"Alright, well I'll go find Sam," Lily said, leaning in and kissing James briefly on the mouth, "And we'll see you all at nine." She straightened and surveyed the two others at the table, "and remember: costumes, dates."

"Yes, Lily," Lupin said civilly.

"Yeah, Evans," Sirius mumbled.

"Bye!" James called after her. She turned around and smiled, then twisted her head back around as she left, her hair whipping around after her. James turned to look at Lupin and Sirius.

"First you make us dress up in dress robes for your wedding, and now we're putting on bloody Halloween costumes?" Sirius said, "This is getting ridiculous."

"Oh shut up," James said, "You just have to worry about how your get-up is going to beat old Krum's."

"Maybe he'll dress up as a biscuit," Sirius said miserably.

"I can't believe I'm doing this," Lupin shook his head.

"What the hell are we going to be?"

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"How's this?" Lily held up a black dress, draping it over her shoulder so that Sam could see the effect that it would have on her.

"Good, I suppose," Sam said, eyeing the black crepe garment that hung loosely to the hanger with its elastic banded sheer sleeves, "What are you being again?"

"A witch," Lily emphasized with a smile. The two were perusing the metal racks outside of a flea market, searching for any odds or ends to be used as costumes.

"You're already a witch," Sam echoed Lupin's words from the Leaky Cauldron.

"I know, but it's sort of fun, don't you think?" Lily demanded, draping the dress over her arm, "It's sort of funny, you know?"

"In a rather redundant way, yes," Sam said.

"So I'm going to dress up as the Muggle interpretation of witches."

"To be funny?"

"Precisely."

"Alright," Sam acquiesced, picking up a long red scarf from a basket on the ground, "You've a plan in the very least."

"That's right," Lily said, "And what are you being?"

"I don't know. I'm picking up things that I like and later, when I have them all, a brilliant idea will come to me," Sam said with just a twinge of her smart ass tone. She ducked behind a clothes rack and came up a moment later with an entirely new expression on her face.

"What?" Lily asked suspiciously.

"Who's the best friend in the world?" Sam quizzed.

"You," Lily said slowly, deciding it was the best answer, given that she felt confident that Sam had something behind her back.

"Damn straight," Sam said in the quiet voice that she had been using all day. She pulled out a tall black crepe witch hat from behind her back. Lily's jaw dropped and then she smiled.

"It's perfect!" she said, taking the head piece and holding it up to her dress. The fabrics matched precisely. The hat had a wide, swooping brim that had two large roses made of black velvet and tiny rags of black gauze hanging over its edge.

"I know," Sam said, bowing her head and then choosing an exceptionally large white dress shirt off of a rack and tucking it into the crook of her arm, next to the red scarf.

"Sam, we could fit four of us in there," Lily observed.

"So it would seem..." Sam muttered, already turned back to the racks.

"What are you planning?" Lily demanded, throwing her shoulders back in the closest to a tantrum that she could come. Sam almost smiled once again.

"A costume, Lily dearest," she said, "I'm going to use magic to clone myself four times and all of us are going to fit into this shirt and we'll be Siamese twins twice over."

"That's ridiculous," Lily argued, "You know you can't clone people using magic."

"Too bad…" Sam muttered, "that would be very helpful when one has to be in two places at once."

Lily laughed, but something in Sam's tone made her feel as if she weren't speaking in jest, "Where do you have to be at the same time?" Lily said, her voice still light.

"What?" Sam said, adding a floral print scarf to her collection.

"Where would you want to be at the same time?"

"That's an interesting question," Sam said vaguely, "Where would you want to be at the same time?"

"Well, right here, with you because I love you dearly and then with James, I suppose—" Lily began to answer before she saw that Sam had turned the question on her, "And what about you."

"I'm happy in one piece," Sam said in finality, but Lily knew better. Sam wasn't one to use words carelessly and she knew that she would think more on the topic later.

"What is Dmitri going to be?" Lily asked. She still had yet to meet the young Mr. Krum who was courting Sam. He seemed to be what one could classify as the perfect boyfriend. He was doting, he was generous, he was polite and he was what her parents liked.

"You know what, Lils, I'll be damned if that man dresses up in a costume," Sam said sourly.

Lily frowned, "That isn't a very good attitude, is it?"

"Hah." Sam said, choosing one last article of cloth, "Alright then, I'm finished."

"Well," Lily checked her watch, "We still have a good three hours before we're to meet the men at the pub so…"

"I have to go put this stuff together, Lily love," Sam said with a sad look, "sorry," she added.

"Don't worry about it," Lily said, "I'm going to meet up with James again anyway. I never really told him where to meet us," she smiled guiltily.

"Well, where shall Dmitri and I find you then?" Sam inquired.

"Kildare's," Lily said finally, remembering the pub that her parents had frequented. In fact, it had been where they had their first date after a friend had set them up. Lily had grown up hearing of the place quite often, though she had only been inside once.

"Come again?" Sam asked, eyebrows raised.

"Kildare's," Lily repeated as they walked up to the cash register to pay for their items, "Do you have a piece of paper?" Lily asked of the cashier, who presented her with a tiny scrap of paper and a pen. Lily scribbled down the directions to Kildare's and handed it to Sam.

"Kildare's," Sam said. Lily nodded, "Right. Well. I shall see you then."

"Yes you will," Sam said, "Good luck with your costume. I'm sure it will be fabulous."

"I'd wish you luck with yours," Lily began, "But I haven't a clue what it is."

"I'll see you later, Lily dear," Sam handed the cashier three galleons. The girl did a double take as she looked at the foreign gold coins, "Oh, bloody hell," Sam muttered as Lily laughed. She stowed the coins again in her purse and handed the girl a note in the correct denomination.

"Thanks," the cashier took the money, still looking at Sam.

"Yeah," Sam muttered, taking all of her material.

"Bye!" Lily called to her as she exited down the street. Farther along, Lily saw her raise her hand in parting.

"Miss?" the cashier was holding out her hat and dress.

"Oh, thank you," Lily smiled, taking her prizes. As she started down the street in the opposite direction of Sam, looking for a place where she could Apparate without notice, she couldn't help but think of what tonight held for everyone. She was dressing up as a witch to go to Kildare's with James Potter, who she would be wedding in little more than seven months.

She wished that her parents could have been alive to witness the evening, to laugh with her as she put on the ridiculous witch hat—maybe she would take her wand along for effect. But she had someone else to laugh with now. She had James and she had Sam and Sirius and Remus and Peter. She had Mr. and Mrs. Potter. She had another family now, and she felt what she was certain was the same level of joy as she looked up at the growing dim of the sky on Halloween.

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"I'm going," Lupin announced, standing up.

"Hell no," said James, "If I'm staying, you sure are."

"Can we hurry this up a bit, then?" Lupin demanded, looking sourly in the direction of the costume shop dressing room and raising his voice for the benefit of who was within. Sirius had been in the changing room for at least an hour, trying on every single vampire cape, pirate hat and werewolf mask—it was perhaps here that Lupin's patience wore thin—in the bloody store.

James had chosen the first vampire cape he had found. It was long and black, lined with red silk as was apparently the Muggle interpretation. He reckoned he would wear his school pants and shirt, in accordance with the pictures of 'vampires' that he had seen around the store.

It was strange, the Muggle stores. James couldn't remember ever being within a store in which the owner did not perform magic, where the doors didn't open by magic, rather than the electricity that Muggles found so helpful. There weren't Quidditch posters on the walls, no Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans to peruse while one paid. James couldn't figure out how Lily had grown up like this and turned out so well.

"I hate Muggle stores," Sirius said, appearing with another armful of rejected costumes.

"Hell no," said Lupin, recognizing the many costumes as a sign of farther costume hunting, "I don't care if you get the bloody werewolf costume—if we don't go somewhere else, I'm leaving."

"No you're not," James repeated through gritted teeth.

"I just haven't found it yet," Sirius complained and James winced at the feminine quality in his words.

"You sound like a woman," Lupin deadpanned.

"Yeah, well, at least I'm not dressing up like a gay guy," Sirius' temper flared, "and you haven't even found a date."

"Sherlock Holmes isn't gay," Lupin argued and James missed Lily more and more, "he is a classic Muggle figure and a very recognizable costume. And you don't have a date either."

"I'm not taking a date," Sirius announced, "I don't care what Evans has to say but I'm not bringing a bloody date along."

"You know what, Marauders?" James stood up, wrapping his arms around the necks of both his comrades and pulling them in to form a close trio, "We're all having a rough go of it here, so let's all just take a moment and remember why we're doing this," James prompted. It was followed by a moment of begrudging silence, "I'm doing this for Lily," James said.

"I don't have a bloody reason that I'm here except that I'm friends with you two," Lupin grumbled.

"Yeah, I don't have a reason either," Sirius echoed.

"Don't even pretend that you aren't doing this for Sam," Lupin objected. James felt quite sure that he had never seen either of his mates act as such and decided that perhaps Halloween wasn't quite the cheerful holiday it had always seemed to have been.

"Oh shut up," Sirius demanded.

"Right, well, now that everything's out there, Padfoot would you please find a bloody costume?" James begged. Sirius looked put out but nodded, "Excellent. We have—" James checked his watch, "and hour and then we have to meet everyone else anyway so you had better find one."

"Can you let go then?" Sirius countered James' head lock so that he was free once again. James laughed and loosened his grip on Lupin as well.

"Let's find Padfoot some battle gear," James agreed.

"Tell us what er, what you're looking for?" Lupin attempted to glean specifics.

"Anything to show up Krum," Sirius said.

"You've never seen him," Lupin argued, "maybe you can't."

"That's perfect Moony," James punched him in the arm, "We're going for constructive bits here, alright?"

"Right. Sorry, Padfoot."

"No worries," Sirius said, his tone changed as he pulled a dark heap of black fabric from underneath a pile, "I think I found something."

"Aren't you going to try it on, then?" James asked as Sirius began a beeline to purchase his findings, "I mean, you have tried on every other bit of cloth in this place."

"Fine," Sirius acquiesced, turning for what James dearly hoped would be the final time towards the dressing rooms. James and Remus took up their posts outside, looking vaguely at the cardboard cutouts of costume possibilities, jack o'lanterns of every size and strange assemblage of Muggle candy. James wandered over to that display.

"What kind of candy do you reckon was Lily's favourite?" he pondered aloud. Remus turned an amused expression to his quandary.

"Prongs, how would I know?"

James shrugged, "Do you think she would have liked lemon drops?"

"_I don't know_," Lupin emphasized.

"Well?" Sirius' voice turned them around. He was dressed like a pirate in an entirely black puffy shirt, pants and boots, gloves, a bandanna and a mask that covered just his eyes. He was standing with an inordinate amount of swagger—even for Sirius—and James knew that he would be getting that ridiculous get up, come hell or high water.

"And you said Sherlock Holmes was gay," Lupin muttered, still obviously affronted.

"I'm getting it," Sirius said smugly, "I'd like to see that Russian arse match this," he muttered on his way back to the dressing rooms.

"Do you think Lily bargained for this when she planned all of this out?" Lupin asked James, who had returned to puzzling over the lemon drops.

"I don't think anyone really bargained for any of this," James observed, "Now, honestly, do you think I should buy these for Lily?" James wasn't quite sure why he was so intent upon purchasing that particular candy, but he was.

"Buy what?" Sirius appeared behind them, dressed again in his Muggle clothes—all three had opted for Muggle jeans and some type of tee shirt for their costume hunt in the afternoon.

"Lemon drops," Lupin clued him in, "He wants to know if Lily would like them."

Sirius shrugged, "Let's ask her," he said, nodding towards the cashier as he put his items on the counter.

"How are you?" Lupin asked considerately of the girl who began to tally up their items.

"Fine," she smiled.

"Hey, do you reckon his fiancée'd like those lemon drops?" Sirius asked blatantly. James groaned inwardly.

"Um, I'm not really sure," the girl said, her face already beginning to show the classic side effects of Sirius—James had seen them too many times throughout their eight years of friendship. She wasn't really paying attention to her job any longer, piling the clothes into a bag without adding them to the total at all. As James had offered to help Lily pay for the wedding, he wasn't about to stop her.

"Let me ask you this," Sirius said, leaning on the counter, "Do _you _like lemon drops?"

"Yeah," she said and Sirius picked them up and put them on the counter.

"There you go, Prongsie," he said, turning around and smiling triumphantly as James witnessed the girl add the lemon drops to the bag again without tallying them.

"Yeah, thanks," James rolled his eyes as he offered the girl the appropriate sum for his costume. She was still staring at the back of Sirius' head, so he just set it on the counter.

"Let's go," Lupin's voice took on the best quality of tone that James had heard all afternoon at the thought of being able to exit the store. They exited the doors and began the stroll down the sidewalk.

"So…" Sirius looked at James, "where exactly are we going?"

"Er, well, Lily never actually specified which particular pub we'd be going to," James began, "But I just reckoned she'd be back at the Cauldron before we had to be there."

"To the Cauldron then?" Lupin supposed.

"Yeah, we'd better," James said as they ducked into an alley way and Disapparated.

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Sam sat behind the closed door of her Cauldron room. She had almost begun to envy Sirius and his ability to leave the bloody pub for the luxury of his own bed. She was beginning to hate the place which had once seemed so comfortable and safe—even though nearly every night the company of the place changed dramatically. But she honestly didn't have enough money to even entertain obtaining her own space. She would be damned before she moved in with her parents. Lily was too bogged down with the wedding and after that, Sam assumed she and James would find their own place anyway. She would just have to put up with the too-familiar wooden paneling and dingy hangings a while longer.

Coincidentally, Dmitri had broached the subject of perhaps sharing a living space in the near future that very afternoon. After Lily and she had parted ways at the flea market, Sam had Apparated to Dmitri's comfortable apartment in south London to give him directions to Kildare's, the pub at which they would be convening for their festivities.

He had seemed quite happy to see her, kissed her promptly upon her arrival and had even teased her pleasantly, refusing to show her what costume he was wearing that evening and asking which she was planning upon wearing. He had been the perfect boyfriend and for a while, Sam disregarded the bruised bone that was—among jewelry—her souvenir from Dmitri.

It had been on her way out that he had asked her if she would like to move in with him. Of course, it had been much more subtle, but he had been obvious. She had smiled—thinking back on it, she was slightly afraid to do anything else—but she hadn't given him a definitive answer. She couldn't. He had accepted that for now, and had kissed her good-bye with a promise to see her later that evening.

And now as she sat on the floor of that despicable room, her piles of scarves and material scraps around her as she tried to imagine the gypsy costume of the century.

It was not a Halloween classic, truthfully, it was nothing special, but Sam had been set upon a gypsy costume for quite a while. When she was younger, it had topped her list of costume ideas but something about her daughter being a gypsy had upset Mrs. Tchaikovsky quite a bit. Maybe it had been the fact that she herself had come from a family that was moderately nomadic or that she had poured so much of her being into ensuring that the same life never befell her children…but whatever the reason, Sam had never been allowed to be the gypsy.

Thus, it was her own certain triumph that she was to be wearing such an outfit but somehow it didn't quite feel triumphant as she sat there amidst items bought at a flea market, a distinct pall of despair over her entire situation.

With a sigh, she picked up the overly large shirt with her left hand, a pair of scissors with her right and set to work, tailoring around the puffy sleeves, whittling down the bodice to fit her frame more expressly. Discarding that, she took up one of the black scarves and began snipping it into what she thought were approximately the pieces of a vest. She saved the second black scarf for her headband and, taking out her wand—which was really the pivotal piece of the puzzle—began fastening the pieces of fabric together using tiny incantations that she had read somewhere that she didn't remember.

It took over a half an hour using magic (Sam balked to think how long she would have been penned up in the room without her wand) but she finally had a costume. She checked her watch and, recognizing that she only had another half an hour before she was to be meeting Dmitri, she began dressing.

She had put the form-fitting shirt on, letting the sleeves flounce out in a voluminous manner about her wrists, the tops of the blouse hanging off of her shoulders, and had tied her skirt—constructed of the remaining floral and solidly coloured scarves—so that it hung low around her hips, when there was a knock at the door.

"Hello?" Sam called out cautiously, not thinking that anyone would have been back at the moment.

"Oh, you _are_ in there," Lily's voice came from the other side, "We're all back here. I just needed to change."

"I'll be out of here in a second," Sam promised, gathering the rest of her costume and stepping into the powder room, "Alright," she relented, "You can come in."

The door opened, and through the small crack between the bathroom door and its frame, Sam saw Lily step into the room.

"Hello," she said cheerfully, catching sight of her. She sighed, "I _still _can't see the costume?"

"Nope," Sam said, "We have little less than an hour till we're meeting down at Kildare's anyway, Lils," she said, a note of pleading in her voice, "You can see it then."

"Fine," Lily called back as Sam picked up the black vest and slipped it on. She secured it in the very front, across her chest. She tied a second black scarf around her hips and a third one on her head in a bandanna-like fashion. The result was exactly what she had imagined: it was beautiful but seductive, though as she stared at the mirror, the thought occurred to her that she wasn't quite sure of whom she should like to be seducing.

"Lils?" Sam looked cautiously through the doorway. Lily already was decked out in her black witch ensemble, topped with that ridiculously gaudy yet so very festively gorgeous hat.

"Yeah?" Lily turned around and smiled. In that moment, she could see just how much this evening meant to her. How going to this Kildare's pub with James meant the entire world to Lily Evans. It was so sweet and touching that Sam knew she couldn't ruin it no matter how she felt. No matter how God-awful it was going to be to have Sirius and Dmitri in the same place, no matter how much she feared that Dmitri was going to do something questionable—she couldn't let that bother her. Because that would bother Lily. And that simply wasn't fair.

"I'm going to go meet up with Dmitri, alright?"

"Sure thing. He's going to dress up?" she asked hopefully.

"He will be in a costume," Sam confirmed.

"Excellent," Lily grinned, "I suppose we'll all be seeing you there in fifteen minutes or so anyway."

"Excellent," Sam repeated and attempted a smile. She figured she had succeeded somewhat because Lily beamed.

"I love you, Sam. Thanks for doing this," Lily offered.

"Love you, too, Lils," Sam said, resisting the urge to run out and hug her. This surprise costume bit was half the fun, after all. While she still had the thought in her mind—ignoring the huge part of her that wanted to go out and show Lily her costume and go to the pub in the company of the Marauders—she Apparated to Dmitri's flat.

When she was released from the constricting tube that was the result of abusing the time-space continuum, Sam found herself on the threshold of Dmitri's door. She straightened her bandanna and knocked smartly one time on the wood. She heard the sound of feet before the door opened.

She had to admit, he looked stunning. Dmitri had combed his blonde hair back so that his blue eyes were revealed to their full extent and he was clad in a suave black tuxedo.

"You look beautiful," he said with the same amount of suaveness as his tuxedo as he embraced her and kissed her nose.

"Thank you," Sam said, stepping back and having the feeling that perhaps she hadn't been clear on the theme of the night. But he didn't seem concerned.

"You British love your James Bond character," Dmitri drawled with a smile, "Correct?" he confirmed of Sam and she nodded as she took in the entirety of his costume. He looked undeniably like James Bond, "I vatched all of ze movies, even zough it required an inordinate amount of time in front of zose primitive televisions zat ze Muggles use," he said to her, wrapping his arm around her shoulders as they walked away from the flat.

Sam felt herself flinch slightly as his arm touched her skin.

"I think it's perfect," she managed finally and smiled at him. Dmitri laughed.

"Did you sink about my proposal to you zis afternoon?" he prompted. Sam shrugged.

"A little," she said, "I like where I am right now, though. It keeps me close to my work."

"I sink it vould be good idea," he said stiffly and Sam just nodded in return, "But ve can discuss zis later, correct?"

"Correct," Sam repeated as they exited the building onto the sidewalk. There were actually quite a few costumed people traveling about the streets, most looking quite drunk already. Sam smiled in the direction of a laughing couple in wizard and witch ensembles.

"Now, to vhere are we going?"

"The pub is called Kildare's," Sam said, "I told you about it this afternoon."

"No," Dmitri refuted her statement easily. Sam laughed.

"Yes, I did," she insisted, "It's alright if you don't remember…" she fell silent as his grip on her shoulders tightened and he leaned in to speak in her ear as they walked together down the sidewalk.

"You do not disagree with me," he said, his voice low and Sam tried to shift out from under his grasp, but she could not, "Understand?" he straightened up as they continued on down the street. Sam did not answer. She knew how that would make him feel—angry, mostly—but he couldn't do anything, not here, in public, where people would see.

"Kildare's is just up here," Sam muttered as she studied the address that Lily had printed on the sheet of paper for her earlier that day. She hadn't noticed its proximity to Dmitri's flat until they had crossed the street of West Chester.

"Have you told all of your friends good zings about me?" Dmitri asked, his tone demanding.

"Yes," Sam muttered.

"Nothing bad, I should hope," he restated.

"Nothing," Sam replied, now feeling something suspiciously like tears in her throat as they approached the corner side pub of Kildare's. It was very attractive in a rustic, pub-ish way with its red brick façade and painted red wooden window supports on the lower half of its face. The windows were bright and sparkling with the reflections of other electric signs. Above the door, painted golden letters announced to them that they were entering Kildare's Public House.

Sam hoped against hope that the Marauders and Lily were already inside as Dmitri took the door and held it open for her. As she stepped inside, he replaced his arm around her shoulder. Words couldn't describe how dearly she was wishing him away at the moment.

Halloween was in full swing inside the pub. If Sirius had worried about looking like a fool, he was truly out of place. Everyone inside had some semblance of a costume. Pumpkins lined the floors, candles burning brightly along the walls and inside the jack O'lanterns. A vampire with a single fang knocked into Sam with a crooked smile as they made their way to the bar. A huge feeling of relief swept through Sam's body and mind as she spotted Lily's witch hat. James, who was facing them, spotted them as well and waved.

"You made it!" Lily saw them.

"Of course we did," Sam said, attempting a smile.

"You're a gypsy?" Lily supposed and when Sam nodded, she beamed, "It's perfect!" she said, over the noise of shouts and rowdy music playing blandly in the background.

"Everyone, this is Dmitri," Sam said, and when Dmitri's arm released slight pressure from her shoulders, she twisted away so that she was standing with more than adequate space between them.

"Pleased to meet you," Dmitri took Lily's hand and kissed it, he shook James' outstretched hand and extended his own towards the two remaining persons of their group. Remus shook it with a smile when Sirius failed to grasp Dmitri's hand immediately. However, after three very long seconds of time spent with the two of them staring at each other, Sirius and Dmitri shook hands. Sam thought each of their knuckles looked exceptionally white while doing so.

"And you are…" Lily looked at Dmitri's costume.

"Double-Oh Seven," it was Sirius who spoke and Sam caught his eye, though it was particularly difficult to do so. He was dressed in almost frightening resemblance to her, with a black bandanna around his head but a black mask concealing the skin and hair around his eyes. The cool grey of his eyes was almost completely engulfed by the black pupil in the dimly lit pub, but they held their intensity. He, too, looked painfully good-looking in his entirely black pirate-like outfit.

"Yes, James Bond," Dmitri replied, smiling toothily at Lily, "Is so very nice to meet all of Samanza's friends from her school days."

Sam cringed at how he made it sound like such a long while ago.

"It is nice to meet her boyfriend, finally," Lily replied.

"How about some drinks?" Sam said, finally breaking eye contact with Sirius and approaching the counter in an effort to buy what she hoped would be the first round of drinks.

"Otlichna," Dmitri said and Sam winced again as she bought the round of dark draught. She picked up each cup and handed it to each body in their party. Lupin was dressed in a wonderfully apropos costume as Sherlock Holmes. He seemed to have taken the same Muggle-pop-culture approach to the costumes as Dmitri but he was wearing a long, plaid trench coat, a Holmes sort of hat and a pipe in his left hand. He smiled as he took the drink.

James was wearing a half-hearted rendition of a classic vampire with a red-lined cape tied about his otherwise-normal clothes. Sam did notice that he had made some sort of attempt to slick back his hair. He gave his drink to Lily, who was beaming at the sheer, child-like joy of the holiday, and took another for himself.

She handed a mug to Dmitri, who tried to catch her eye, but she refused to give in to him.

She hated him and her stupid relationship, but she couldn't forget Sirius asking her to promise him to do what her parents wanted. And what her parents wanted was Dmitri.

The last cup went to Sirius, and Sam moved her fingers quickly away before his could make contact with her skin. She knew the outrageous warm feeling that would spread through her if that happened, as his skin always had the habit of feeling exceptionally hot.

"Cheers," Sam said, raising her own glass. Everyone echoed her toast, but as they all drank, she didn't put the liquid to her lips. She would be damned if she would be intoxicated in any matter tonight. As she watched Dmitri drink, an inescapable thought entered her mind and no matter how much she knew it was wrong, she knew she was going to act on it. She reached into the folds of her skirt and her hand tightened on the handle of her wand.

"Happy Halloween," Lily spoke up and they all raised their glasses again. Sam pointed her wand at Dmitri. She almost found it impossible to speak, due to the sudden dryness of her mouth.

"Imperio."

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"James! Put me down!" Lily insisted as James hoisted her for the third time into the air. It was true, they had had quite a bit to drink, but Lily had the feeling that he would have pulled the crazy stunts anyway, liquor or no.

"Fine," James relented with a smile. He placed her neatly on the ground, then, with one large, perfect move, dipped her back and kissed her.

They had been dancing for the past fifteen minutes on the floor of Kildares' second story. They had wandered up after their first three rounds and had found that the particularly rowdy second story dwellers had cleared a spot on the floor by moving all of the furniture up against the walls. Now, almost everyone in the place was dancing. It didn't matter that the music playing was that of horrible wailing bagpipes. Everyone was dancing to their own song, either by themselves or with someone who they had brought that night—or not.

Lily smiled as James released her from his arms, only to take her hand and kiss her engagement ring before leading her back to the table that they had all chosen as their base camp. Sirius was the only one there, sitting sullenly with his barely-touched mug.

"Lighten up, mate!" James said cheerily, as Lily collapsed into a chair, "It's Halloween!"

A couple of other patrons heard his tiny speech and repeated his line.

"Aye! It's Halloween!" one particularly loud man shouted.

"Aye!" the entire pub echoed and all took a swig on whatever they were holding at that point in time.

Lily fell into a fit of giggles as the large, loud man slapped James heartily on the back.

"Well said, mate!" he congratulated him before turning back to his mug.

"Thanks," James said cautiously.

Their table was perhaps more decorated than they were. Lily had removed her hat as she had found herself becoming gradually warmer and warmer. Lupin had left his pipe and his own hat, as well as his long coat so that as he stood against the wall entertaining a trio of girls, he was wearing only his white dress shirt and plaid pants. James had abandoned his vampire cape and his half-slicked hair had found its way back into its classic unruly position so that he wasn't really a vampire anymore but was rather just James.

Only Sam, Sirius and Dmitri remained fully costumed.

As Sirius moped in the back corner of the dim pub, leaning back in his chair, only his eyes were really visible. He was surveying Sam and Dmitri and intermittenly shaking his head in what Lily assumed was disgust. Lily didn't think that the two were disgusting. Dmitri seemed every bit as charming as Sam had described him to be. He had manners and cool aplomb, a mature quality that Lily thought suited Sam very well.

However, Dmitri was looking quite disheveled as he danced with Sam on the make-shift dance floor. Lily had the impression that he had had much too much to drink that evening. Perhaps he had a higher tolerance for liquor, but the way that he was swaying paired with the way that his hair was hanging in his drooping eyes made Lily think differently.

The particular bag pipe medley whined out its last note over the radio—something forgotten in Lily's heart had warmed at the sight of an electric socket—and Sam and Dmitri ambled back towards the table. Or rather, Dmitri leaned on Sam the entire way back to the table. Sam positioned him in the vicinity of a seat and released his arm. He fell heavily onto the chair, his head falling onto the table and his arms hanging limply at his sides.

"Well, he certainly didn't go easy on the bar, did he?" Lupin observed, coming up behind them.

"No," Sam muttered, looking at the form of her beau with a strange look in her eyes.

"Got any felly tone numbers, Moony?" James asked, nodding at the gang of girls that Lupin had attracted.

"I was offered five," Lupin admitted.

"But you didn't take them?" Lily inquired. Lupin shook his head.

"Lily, the only _telephone_ that we three have seen was the example of one in Muggle Studies that we had to dial for credit on our exams," Lupin reminded her, "Besides, everyone here is drunk."

"Not everyone," Lily heard Sam mutter. She was still looking at Dmitri. It was a pity that her date had drunk himself to physical inability. With another strange look, Sam took a step back. Her eyes looked very dark and she herself looked suddenly very tired and almost thin. She certainly looked ill though.

"Are you alright?" Lily asked of Sam.

She nodded, "I haven't been sleeping well," she admitted.

"It's probably your wrist," Sirius spoke up from the back of the table. Sam's eyes snapped onto his own and Lily saw something pass between the two of them.

"No," Sam emphasized, "I have been having nightmares the past week. Can I talk to you?" she asked of Sirius in a rather grumpy tone.

"Is that like 'will you dance with me'?" Sirius asked, all of his swagger returned as he stood up. He, too, looked rather un-drunk.

"Sure, whatever." Sam snapped.

"I think we should ask your boyfriend first," Sirius noted, his eyes wide with innocence. He leaned over Dmitri's unconscious form, "May I dance with your girlfriend?" he asked loudly. Dmitri didn't move.

"That's a yes," Sam interepreted, grabbing his arm and marching him out onto the dance floor. As he took her wasit, Lily returned her attention to their group of four, though she had the thought that Dmitri didn't really count.

"Nutcracker doesn't do well on no sleep," James noted with an amused tone.

"Not at all," Lily laughed as she sat down on James' knee. James put his face against her neck and breathed deeply.

"Happy Halloween," he said, his voice deep and husky. His breath on her skin ticked and she giggled again.

"Happy Halloween to you, too." Lily reciprocated.

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"Are you alright?" Lily's voice pulled Sam out of her trance. She shook her head mentally and faced her friend in time to nod.

"I haven't been sleeping well," she said. It was true. She had been having nightmares galore through the past week. They were so very _real_ that no matter when she woke up in the cold sweat that claimed her at night, she couldn't get back to sleep.

But right then, something else was on her mind. Perhaps it was the use of the Imperius curse on her boyfriend. It was true that she hadn't forced him to doing anything illegal or even particularly bad. But there was something horribly taboo about the use of an Unforgiveable Curse that made her stomach hurt just slightly. Although, as she looked at Dmitri's form collapsed over the table—she had made him increase is alcohol intake quite significantly—she couldn't keep the feeling of vindictive pleasure as well as an undeniable feeling of safety from finding its way into her.

"It's probably your wrist," Sirius spoke up. Or rather, his eyes did. Even with her own sober eyes, she was having quite a bit of difficulty discerning the outline of his being from the blackening wall.

"No," she said, feeling quite uncomfortable all of a sudden. There was something in his eyes as though he _knew. _But he couldn't have known, "I have been having nightmares," she decided to tell them, the safest of all of her reasons, "Can I talk to you?" she added, feeling the growing need to tell him off.

"Is that like 'will you dance with me'?" Sirius drawled and Sam felt quite like punching him.

"Sure. Whatever," she replied, surprised at the tartness in her voice. It wasn't entirely unpleasant and as she picked her gypsy-costumed self up off of the pub chair, she felt all of the guilt at her use of the Curse fade away, completely eclipsed by the pleasure and safety.

"I think we should ask your boyfriend, first," Sirius paused, standing over Dmitri, "May I dance with your girlfriend?" he asked and Sam waited in quiet horror for Dmitri to wake up and to know what she had done. But the dozen mugs of beer seemed to have done quite a number on him and he didn't stir.

"That's a yes," Sam said, grabbing Sirius' arm before Dmitri could wake up. She heard him give a quiet laugh as she pulled him towards the far side of the dance floor.

"What?" Sirius asked as they came to a stop. Sam drew herself up to her full height and he did so as well. He then proceeded to take her waist in his hands and guide her along the floor, slowly but surely.

"What?" Sam repeated, "Can't you just give it a rest?"

"Give what a rest?" Sirius demanded, twirling her out so that her skirt flew in a wild pattern of colours. When he pulled her back in, he caught her right in front of his body. She twisted her head up to look at him.

"_Me_," Sam stressed, "Can't you leave me alone for an entire bloody day? Can't you just let me be?"

"Look at you!" Sirius said, motioning to her self.

"What?"

"You look like hell! You might be having nightmares, but you sure as hell aren't happy right now, where you are, so don't give me all this shit about leaving you be. You'd be miserable as hell without me."

"No," Sam said, looking him full in the face. She felt ridiculous in her gypsy get-up and wished she hadn't asked him to talk in the first place, "No. I wouldn't. You don't give a damn about how I am or my happiness or we sure as hell wouldn't be in this place to begin with."

The dancing came to a sudden stop as they surveyed each other through narrowed eyes.

She felt a strange swoop in her stomach as she felt the success of having the last word and turned away to march back to the table. She would leave Dmitri for a nasty surprise whenever he regained consciousness and deal with his temper later. Right now, she wanted nothing more than her bed at the Leaky Cauldron.

"You're right handed," Sirius said. Oh holy hell, was she tired of this.

"Yes," she snapped, turning around, "So I've heard. Do you have any other clever observations before I go?"

"You're right handed, so you sure as hell don't wear a watch on your right hand," Sirius said evenly and she froze. He did know. She felt all of her feelings of success dissipate. She looked around and saw Lily and James clearly within vantage point. She took Sirius' arm and pulled him around the corner, into the stairwell so that they were hidden from view.

"Don't tell Lily," was the first thing that she could think to say.

"You think I'm going to tell on your boyfriend to Evans?" Sirius challenged, "Hell no. If anything happens to that—" he stalled for a moment and Sam could see that he honestly couldn't think of anything bad enough to call Dmitri. She had the same problem in her mind sometimes, "I'll be the one to do it."

"Oh let it alone, Sirius. I'm keeping a promise. Or don't you remember?" Sam snapped again.

"Don't pull that shit out," he said rudely.

"You're drunk."

"Like hell I am," Sirius sneered, "Just like Studley over there," he jerked his head towards Dmitri.

"Are you going to let this go?" she demanded in finality, putting her hands sternly on her hips.

"No," he said with the air of a six-year-old. They faced each other for a long while. And suddenly, Sam couldn't take it anymore. Every tiny bit of her self control failed her and she closed the distance between them at the same time that he did.

Her lips on his, he pushed her against a wall and kissed her hard.

But it was all over too quickly, her moment of muddled confusion was soon replaced by her typical lucid thinking and she pushed him back. Jesus, there was such _hope_ in his eyes. She knew she hadn't have done it, but there was no denying the shelter and protection she felt when she was with him. Alas, there was nothing to do but to give that protection up.

"Sirius—"

But he seemed to understand. He stepped back, his arms still pinning her to the wall, she felt that he empathized with her moment of selfish impulse mostly, she had the feeling, because it was an identical moment for him.

"If he hurts you Sam, I swear to you, he'll pay," Sirius' gaze was too intense.

"I'm not leaving him, Sirius," Sam thought to say in a murmur. Sirius was silent and Sam took the moment to duck out from under his arms.

Perhaps she was imagining it, but she was half-way back to the table when, over the drunken roar, dancing feet of the crowd, and bagpipes, she thought she heard: "Not yet."

When she turned around to look for Sirius, she could see only his eyes again—and his smile.


	30. Qwaffles

_Still don't own any characters that you recognize-except Samantha Tchaikovsky, you might start recognizing her now…I hope…*long silence* (I know some of you are like "uh, Tchaikovsky?" Yeah, I'm onto you.)_

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_He he. The pattern of me skiving out on updates and making excuses is getting pretty tiring. _

_Wanna hear my new excuse? _

_Alright. So. _

_Setting: Homecoming week at my high school._

_Homecoming week typically is bloody awful. Spirit days are like: 80's Day, Neon Day, Lame Day. Just joshing you about the last one but I digress. This year, Homecoming week was bloody amazing! For those of you who haven't seen my gallery on DeviantArt (coolest website EVER! here, go see it! __.com/gallery__/ ), I have an obsession with Pirates of the Caribbean that borders on unhealthy. Oh well. Have you SEEN those movies? They're incredible...anyway. To make a long story short: one of our spirit days was Pirate Day and I, having my obsession and loving to sew costumes, made the plum dress from the first movie. If you read this and I haven't posted the pictures on DeviantArt, check back later...it will be there.)_

_So three days and one waffle later, I had a dress and a free ticket to homecoming for being the most spirited, which I promptly scalped off and skived off homecoming for a Muse concert.(Do you love Muse? You should! Go listen to their music. They are amaaazzzing.)_

_Alright. So that's my excuse. But now we have what I think may be the longest chapter! There is so much to explain in this chapter…um so. The part with Oliver (you won't know what I'm talking about) I just thought would be cute and I recently had the same experience. Next. The Quidditch game is based on a baseball game that I went to. There are also some stereotypes thrown in there. I hope they don't insult anyone. Everyone has stereotypes that have something to do with them…God, I love you guys!_

_One more point: NEW CONTEST! In your review, vote for a destination that Lily and James should choose for their Honeymoon. Youmustyoumustyoumustmustmust REVIEW! (and make them long and full of great words. Complain about your day, my story, my sadistic need to torture my characters. Compliment the wondrous way that I weave words through my stories. Express concerns that I will never finish this story! )_

_So here's to patient readers and exhausted authors! Huzzah! (but mostly, cheers to any of you that have stuck with me to the end…although it's typically bitter.)_

_Love always,_

_Fae_

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**Qwaffles**

Sam awoke with a start and a scream.

The sheets of her bed were wound around her body tightly from all of the tossing and turning that had accompanied her dreams. She was sweaty and hot—and she was terrified.

The dream…it had been the same for a while. For four nights in a row, she had been plagued by a recurring nightmare, so brilliantly clear that it was memory-like in quality: she was kneeling in front of a fire, her eyes cast downward so that she couldn't see what—or rather who—was in front of her. She could only hear him.

It was man, of that she was certain. He had a strange, attractive quality in his voice and although she couldn't see his face, she had the feeling that he was good-looking. But there was another facet to his voice, a high, off-key twinge that was full of hatred and—she felt ridiculous saying it—_evil_. As she knelt before the disembodied voice, he spoke to her. He was telling her about something he was planning that involved a large crowd of people. It would be, the voice believed, the perfect setting for his plot. He could not imagine a better location where more wizards would be gathered in a single area.

The voice stopped speaking then, and a hand reached down to grab her wrist.

"Summon the others," the voice commanded and rolled up her sleeve. The hand pressed two long, slender fingers to her skin. Where they touched her burned white-hot and she screamed.

That was all that she could ever recall because it was with that scream that she would wake herself.

And so she sat bolt upright in the bed, her breathing ragged as she pulled up her sleeve to examine her left arm. As always, it was just fine.

"Sam?" Lily had awakened, her voice was tired but it was worried.

"I'm fine," she assured her, "sorry."

"What's wrong?" Lily sat up groggily.

"Just a nightmare."

"Oh," Lily said, laying back down.

Sam had had enough, though. After seven years of being a witch, she knew better than to dismiss dreams. She untangled herself from the sheets, pulled on her dressing gown and slippers and stepped out into the hall. She pulled her wand from the pocket of her gown and waved it slightly in front of her.

"Excpecto Patronum," she murmured, almost silently. Immediately, the tiny porcupine appeared in front of her, "I need to see Progessor Dumbledore," she whispered and the creature disappeared, leaving a small cloud of mist behind it.

Sam followed what she felt may have been the Patronus' path and descended the stairs into the pub. It was completely deserted, all of the chairs had been stowed on top of the tables and she silently removed one and set it on the dusty floor to sit in. She crossed her legs and folded her arms and took to waiting.

It hadn't been three minutes before Dumbledore Apparated directly in front of her.

"Miss Tchaikovsky," he said gravely, "I received your Patronus."

"I'm sorry to bother you at such an hour, Professor."

Dumbledore sat down across from her. She always felt strangely when she was having one-on-one conversations with Albus Dumbledore. It was as though he were too grand a figure to speak to personally.

"After your graduation from the school, you are very welcome to call me by my first name. I believe that is how all superiors are addressed by their employees," Dumbledore said kindly.

"Thank you, sir," Sam said, "but old habits tend to die hard for me."

"I see," he said with a smile, "How can I be of assistance?" he inquired, peering at her.

"Sir, I've been having dreams recently…nighmares actually. They seem so real and it has been the same one for a while now. It's so real…it's like a memory that I'm remembering although I'm certain I've never lived that scene before. I wouldn't have bothered you unless—"

"Dreams, even for Muggles are not something to be taken lightly, Miss Tchaikovsky," Dumbledore warned, "Would you describe your dream for me?"

Sam took a breath, "I'm in a room and I'm kneeling on the floor," she began.

"What does the floor look like?"

Sam closed her eyes. She hadn't thought of it before, hadn't noticed, but she could see it very clearly all of a sudden, "It's grey stone but its charred as though it's been burned…"

"Is it a hearth?" Dumbledore's voice asked her and she was suddenly aware of the faint smell of smoke and something burning. She nodded.

"There's a man in front of me. I can't see his face but he's telling me that something is about to happen. He's found the perfect place and he's confident that it will be the perfect setting."

"For what?"

Sam shook her head, "He never says. But he likes the spot because there are enough people there. He wanted a place with a lot of people. And then he touches my arm and it burns badly," Sam opened her eyes again, "but when I wake up, my arm is never burned."

Dumbledore was quiet as he looked at her, although Sam had the sensation that he was looking through to the wall behind her head instead.

"Miss Tchaikovsky, after your Quidditch accident, your memories were not in working order. I gave you a potion to regain your memories. Do you remember what I said might happen if you were to stop taking that potion?"

Sam did.

"What you are suffering from, Miss Tchaikovsky, is perhaps the most severe of the side effects that I warned you about when I prescribed the small vial of Codeinogg for your condition: you are seeing another person's memories. This person could have been anyone and the memories could have come from anywhere. Typically, freed memories come from a memory-loss charm. However, they can be freed in a manner of ways. A memory spell, Miss Tchaikovsky, is a very damaging bit of magic, not to be taken lightly," Dumbledore relayed gravely, "The memories that are let loose do not have a home, which goes against their nature. Memories like to have a place in which they can reside and freed ones do not have this safe haven.

"Freed memories find refuge in minds that have been opened. Open minds come about also in a variety of ways: injury, spell damage, insanity are a few of the more common. Your mind, Miss Tchaikovsky, was opened slightly with the damage caused by your accident. Muggles suffer from a similar event. I believe they call it a concussion. You had one of these concussions which, I dare say was severe. Madam Pomfrey treated it as any Muggle doctor would. As I said, the concussion left your mind opened, but the Codeinogg I gave you opened it further."

Sam opened her mouth to protest: Why would he give her something that could harm her? Why hadn't they had this extended version of the side effects spiel before? Maybe she would have actually finished the bottle of that wretched drink. Then again, maybe she wouldn't have.

"This was, of course, so that your own freed memories could find their way back to your mind. I dare say that process is not a simple one, nor a painless one," he said knowingly, "The real purpose of Codeinogg is to attract your own memories back to your own mind. After that, the final doses aid in the final sealing of the mind to its normal state once again."

"And because I didn't finish the potion, my mind was left open?" Sam supposed.

"That's true. I know, perhaps more than most other people, how injurious some memories can be and, therefore, I won't ask you why you stopped taking the Codeinogg, despite my directions," Dumbledore said with a smile, and Sam looked down at her knees, "The memories that sought refuge in your mind are from a Death Eater," Dumbledore revealed, "This certain individual happens to be a Death Eater and their memories just so happen to be very recent. It's interesting—even fortuitous—that such recent memories came to your possession. You could have caught the memories of a fourteenth century courtier and you may have never known that they were memories as opposed to strange dreams."

"Their memory," Sam asked, looking up at Dumbledore again, "they were talking to Lord Voldemort, weren't they?" Dumbledore nodded, "How did they lose that memory?" Sam asked, suddenly feeling sick.

"There is no way to tell," Dumbledore said, shaking his head, "I wish to ask you, though: how did you find him? His voice, I mean?"

"He sounded…attractive," Sam searched for words, "The way that he spoke… I wanted to agree with what he was saying. He made it sound right, appealing."

"Tom Riddle was always more persuasive than any other person I have known before or since. Although, I must say you, as well as Miss Evans and Misters Potter, Black, Lupin and even Pettigrew all have a great amount," he smiled slightly.

"Sir," Sam injected carefully, feeling as though they were going a bit off the topic that interested her most, "How do I get rid of these memories?"

A strange shift came over Dumbledore's features.

"I'm not sure that I could tell you that right now," he said, looking as though he had just thought of something, "The truth is, Miss Tchaikovsky, though I had always been aware of this phenomenon, I have never witnessed it before."

Sam felt as though this may have been the first time that being an exceptional person was not favourable.

"What does that mean for me, Professor?" she swallowed hard.

Dumbledore paused a moment, "Miss Tchaikovsky, what you have seen is perhaps some of the most reliable evidence that we currently have to Lord Voldemort's plots and current whereabouts. The fact that you have had these dreams not only proves that your mind is remarkably unique, but the fact that Voldemort does not know of this informational leak is promising.

"I need to consult some of my acquaintances, but I will be back to speak with you later this morning."

Sam nodded as Dumbledore rose, presumably to leave, "I'm sorry to have bothered you at such an hour," she apologised and Dumbledore examined her.

"It is no bother, Miss Tchaikovsky. I am pleased that you have trusted me with such information. I hope that you have others in whom you can confide," he said with a smile and Sam nodded again.

"I had never seen your Patronus before, Miss Tchaikovsky," he said, "correct me if I am wrong but was it a porcupine?"

"Yes, sir," Sam replied.

"Strange how well our the Patronus knows our minds and hearts," Dumbeldore spoke, his voice distant, "Sometimes, I believe, they know something of ourselves before we do."

"Yes, sir," Sam said again, although she wasn't quite sure of what she was agreeing with. Dumbledore crossed the floor. He reached the other end before Sam opened her mouth, "Sir?"

"Yes, Miss Tchaikovsky."

"What is your Patronus?"

"My Patronus takes the form of a Phoenix," he said.

"Is that what it always was?" Sam asked, suddenly, remembering something she had read about a Patronus' ability to change. Dumbledore was quiet for a moment, "I'm sorry," Sam said quickly, "That wasn't polite."

"That was a very clever question," Dumbledore prefaced and Sam instantly felt stupid, "No. No, Miss Tchaikovsky, my patronus was not always a phoenix."

She had already asked one rude question, which far exceeded her limit for a year and she resisted the urge to inquire into what his patronus had been before or what had caused the unusual change.

Dumbledore smiled and with a loud snap, he Disapparated to somewhere that he only knew but that was supposedly going to help her current condition. She sat a few minutes longer than traipsed back upstairs. She sat back down in her bed, her back against the headboard.

She couldn't bring herself to close her eyes.

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"Let's go out for breakfast," James proposed as he, Remus, Lily, and Sam sat around the wooden Leaky Cauldron table yet again.

"Where?" Sam asked, looking as though she hadn't slept in quite some time.

"There's a place that makes waffles," Lily said. James thought that he had seen it once. It was a building that had the wooden façade of an old church, complete with a steeple.

"Are we all up for waffles, then?" James asked.

"Sure," Remus said, "God knows I haven't had a waffle…._ever_."

"_What_?" Lily looked scadalised, "No waffles?"

"I have to say, Remus, that's sort of shocking," Sam agreed as they picked up their coats and slipped them on before stepping out the door.

"Apparently," Moony said, looking amused. The group stepped onto the sidewalk and James caught Lily's hand as they looked around. The air was decidedly chilly in the November air, frost covered the sidewalk and James had the urge to pick Lily up to minimize the chance of her falling. He left her on the ground.

A sudden roar in the road caused them all to look up. Sirius Black, who James had supposed had decided to sleep in, was approaching them at alarming speed on his motorcycle. He threw the clutch in and down shifted suddenly, breaking with the handlebar and coming to a particularly smoky stop. He removed his helmet which revealed a particularly large smile, and dismounted the bike.

He was dressed in a black leather jacket and Muggle jeans that looked as though they may have been involved in some sort of oil-change operation at an earlier date.

"Oh here comes Hell's Angels," Sam said loudly, crossing her arms and looking disgustedly in Sirius' direction.

"'Morning, Chop Suey," Sirius said happily, wrapping his arm brazenly around her waist. Sam took a moment to look appalled before removing his arm. Undeterred, he draped it over her shoulders, "Where are we off to?"

"Waffles," Moony explained, looking with a smile at Lily and Sam.

"Waffles," Sirius repeated, "Never had one of those."

"You're _joking_," Sam emphasized, looking up at him. He shook his head.

"Should I be?"

"No," Sam said, as they continued down the street. The restaurant was in view already, it's white and blue painted front stood out from the dingy brick fronts of the other establishments. James arrived on the scene first, and opened the door for Lily. Sam followed and James handed the door off to Remus and then Sirius.

"So you've had a waffle before?" Lily asked, turning to look at James.

"Can't say I have," James admitted.

"Wizards…" Sam shook her head.

"Witches…" Sirius mimicked her tone and dodged the ensuing swing of Sam's fist, but both were smiling in uniquely good humour.

It was quite busy inside the place, numerous Muggles were all surrounding white, linen covered tables. Some were in suits for what James supposed were business meetings. Others were families, dressed casually. All looked as though they were enjoying the array of breakfast foods before them.

"How many in your party?" the hostess approached as they milled about in the vestibule.

"Five," Remus said.

"Right this way," the girl picked up five lamenated menus and led them towards one of the vinyl booths, "there you are," she said, laying down the menus. James and Lily slid onto one side, while Sirius, Sam, and Lupin took the other, "I'll be back in a few minutes for your order," the girl said with a particularly wide smile before turning around and heading back to her station.

"Alright, well, we're obviously getting waffles," Lily said.

"Obviously," James echoed, and she just laughed and kissed him lightly.

"I like this," Lupin said, pointing at the menu, "It says that they put chocolate chips _in_ the waffles. I'm getting those," he siad decidedly, replacing the menu on the table.

"I like apples on top of mine," Sam added.

"I'll have that, too," Sirius said automatically.

"Lily?" James offered.

"Um…" Lily looked a moment at the menu, "I'll get the ones with strawberries."

"Sounds good to me," James agreed. They had only sat for a few minutes when Sam checked her watch.

"You have a date, or what?" Sirius asked, looking perturbed.

"Well, actually I have to talk with Dumbledore this morning," Sam said, looking down at her menu with sudden interest.

"For what?" Sirius demanded.

"Your dreams," Lily said suddenly, looking as though something had just dawned on her, "They never went away, did they?" Sam shook her head, "And they're more than just nightmares, aren't they?" Sam sort of shrugged, "_Samantha,"_ Lily said with all emphasis.

"Well, Dumbledore thinks that they may be memories from somenoe else who lost them or something."

"Why didn't you tell me?" Lily asked, looking put out.

"_Sorry_," Sam said back, just as emphatically, "Anyway, he's coming to talk to me about it this morning."

"Well enjoy your waffles," Lily prompted as the waitress approached their table, "I'm sure he won't leave you without an explanation."

"What can I get for all of you?" the waitress asked, flipping her tiny notebook to a new page and poising her pen above the paper.

"An order of chocoalte chip waffles, two orders with cherries and two with apples," James summarized neatly, handing all of the menus back to the girl.

"I will get that started for you," she promised and left again.

"Any news with the Order?" Sam asked, playing with the ends of her hair.

"I haven't heard any report for the past few days," Sirius concurred, "Voldy taking a break, or what?"

"Never underestimate the enemy, Black," Sam repsonded distantly and Sirius spared her a strange look.

"I wasn't about to, Chai," he said.

"Good. And don't call me Chai," she said irritably.

"Ow!" Lily exclaimed suddenly, causing the banter between Sirius and Sam to cease as they all turned their attention to Lily. A small boy of near three years old had stood up in the neighbouring booth and had taken it upon himself to pull Lily's ponytail. As soon as Lily cried out, though, the put his hands over his face. When Lily saw him, she smiled and put her own hands over her face, "Peek-a-boo!" she said.

Almost instantly, the boy's hands came away from his face and he shrieked in delight when he saw that Lily was playing with him. Lily and Sam giggled.

"What's your name?" Lily asked, politely.

"Oliver," the boy said, looking proud of his name.

"That's a wonderful name," Lily said.

"What's your name?" Oliver asked.

"Lily."

"My mama has lilies at home," Oliver said, suddenly quite chatty.

"Oh yes?" Lily looked interested, and James felt a warming sensation inside of himself as he watched Lily speak. He loved Lily's ability to make everyone feel as though they were exceptionally important.

Oliver nodded, "What's his name?" he asked, pointing at James and poking one of the lenses of his glasses with his pudgy finger.

"That's James," Lily said. Oliver looked at James seriously.

"Are you a daddy?" Oliver asked. James caught Lily's eye. She was watching him carefully. Her face was smiling, but her eyes were cautious, guarded not to react either way to his response.

"No," James said, "Are you?"

"_No_," Oliver giggled, "I'm only this many," he held up a thumb and three fingers, "Are you a mama?" Oliver asked Lily and looked puzzled when she shook her head.

"Not yet," she said with a tiny smile.

"What's his name?" Oliver turned his attention to Lupin.

"That's Remus," Lily introduced him, and Lupin smiled faintly.

"How are you, Oliver?"

"Good," he said.

"What kind of waffles are you eating, today?" Lupin asked.

"Strawbrary," Oliver said, frowning.

"I'm having chocolate," Lupin shared.

"You're lucky," Oliver told him, "My-my mama said I couldn't have chocolate," he told them all in a whisper. They all laughed and Oliver looked embarrassed, "What's your name?" he asked, looking to Sam. Apparently he felt as if she could be addressed without the help of Lily.

"Samantha," Sam said.

"Mantha?" Oliver attempted to repeat, completely disregarding the 's' at the beginning.

"That's right," Sam didn't miss a beat, "I like your sweater, Oliver," Sam looked at his red sweater with an airplane knitted on the front.

"Thank you," Oliver said, shyly.

"My daddy flies airplanes."

"_Really_?" Oliver's blue eyes widened to exceptionally large orbs.

"Really," Sam repeated.

"I want to fly airplanes," Oliver confided in her.

"I think that would be fun," Sam smiled.

"Can you fly airplanes?" Oliver asked suddenly.

"No," Sam laughed. Oliver looked sorely disappointed.

"What's his name?" he asked Sam, pointing to Sirius.

"Sirius," Sam said with a smile.

"That's not a name," said Oliver, looking at Sam as though she were joking. Sirius looked quite taken aback.

"Oliver isn't name," Sirius said back, as though he was four years old as well.

"Yes it is," Oliver argued with a giggle, "It's _my_ name."

"And my name's Sirius."

"That's a silly name," Oliver said.

"Ollie, what do you think his name should be?" Sam asked, and Oliver put his hand on his chin to think. Sam giggled at his pose. He thought for a long time.

"Jeff," he decided.

"Jeff?" Sirius looked appalled, "What kind of name is Jeff?"

"A real one," Oliver emphasized and everyone laughed.

"I think Jeff is an excellent choice, Oliver," Sam said, with a sideways look at Sirius for reaction. She got one, too.

Oliver turned his attention back to Lily, "Are they brother and sister?"

"Mantha and Jeff?" Lily attempted to keep a straight face, but failed. Oliver nodded, "Why would you think that?" Lily inquired.

"They fight a lot."

"They do fight a lot," Lily looked at Sam and Sirius, who both had comically identical innocently-unaware expressions pasted on their faces, "But they aren't siblings."

"Oh," Oliver looked confused.

"Alright, Ollie," a blonde lady appeared behind Oliver. She had the same blue eyes as her son, but they were much more tired, "I think you talked enough for now. I'm sorry," she apologised to their table.

"Not at all," Sam said quickly with a large smile.

"He's quite adorable," Lily offered.

"Thank you," said the woman, "he's very talkative."

"Very intuitive, though," Lily said. The woman laughed.

"Well, thank you for being so kind to him," she said, standing up from the booth and picking up Oliver, who waved at Lily.

"Bye, Oliver," Lily laughed as he and his mother exited the establishment. When she turned back to the table, James observed a different look on her face from any he had seen. It was kindly and motherly and he thought about how she had said that she was "not yet" a mother...

"Two orders of cherry, two of apple and one chocolate," the waitress appeared with a very large tray that contianed their food.

"Thank you," each said as they were given their waffles. Sirius looked down at his plate first.

"What is this?" he asked, examining it by prodding the golden-brown crust with his fork.

"A _waffle_," Sam said slowly, already cutting her own breakfast.

"I know that," Sirius said, "but-"

"There are holes in it," Lupin offered, poking his.

"Like the little spaces where insects store their young," Sirius clarified.

Sam, who had been happily chewing her waffle suddenly looked very ill. She swallowed slowly then pushed her plate away from her.

"That may be the most disgusting thing I have heard," she said. Sirius' face said quite plainly that he thought his job had been completed. He cut a piece off of his own waffle and tasted it.

"That's too bad, Chop Suey, because they're delicious." Sam looked daggers at him, "What?" he asked.

"You've a little something," Sam wiped off a large speck of syrup that was on Sirius' cheek.

"Thanks," he said.

"Don't talk with you mouth full," she said, sullenly.

Sirius swallowed, "Sorry."

"Well, this is nice," James said, the sarcasm in his voice making Lily laugh. He smiled at her, "You didn't know you were in etiquette class, did you Padfoot?"

"I'll have you know, I'm quite refined," Sirius said stuffily.

"Don't chew with your mouth open," Sam reminded him, looking sideways. Sirius promptly closed his mouth and looked sideways at her.

"You have a lot of rules, Tchaikovsky," Remus observed.

"Sam has manners," Lily corrected. Sam sneezed.

"Bless you," Sirius said, moving his mouthful of food to one side of his mouth in order to speak.

"_Don't talk with your mouth open_," Sam said insistently.

"Dammit, Sam, I'm trying to be polite!" Sirius shouted. Sam's jaw dropped and she stared at Sirius in disbelief.

"Uh-oh Padfoot's going _down_…." Remus said slowly to his waffle.

"No, he's right," Sam said after a moment, "Sorry, Sirius."

James wasn't the only one who had expected something entirely different from Sam. A very long pause ensued her response.

"So…waffles," Remus spoke again.

"Waffles," Lily agreed, "They're awesome," she picked up her knife and fork and cut another piece.

"So…is Dmitri still suffering from his hangover or what?" Sirius asked of Sam, who paused in the middle of taking a bite of food. She replaced it on her plate, "I haven't seen him in a few days."

"He's looking for a second job," Sam said, again being atypically civil, although she didn't eat any more.

"The artistry of plumbing just doesn't pay as well as it used to," Sirius said sadly.

"What line of work is he in, Sam?" James asked, attempting to redeem Sirius' poor tact.

"Dmitri sells potions," Sam said, "He works for a business called Illman."

"I would think that would pay rather well," Lily observed. Sam shrugged, "I think it does. He says he's looking for a second source of income."

"Well that's…responsible," Lily said.

"Yeah," Sam shrugged, looking at her watch again.

"C'mon," Sirius said exasperatedly, "I'll take you back to the Cauldron so you can stop worrying."

"No, that's okay," Sam insisted, "I'm just making sure—"

"Let's go," Sirius repeated, obviously adament in his judgment.

"Alright," Sam acquiesced, "Excuse me, Remus," she added to Lupin, who was already scooting out of the booth to allow them out, "Thanks," Sam stood up, "I guess I'll see you all back at the Cauldron, then?" she asked, looking hopeful.

"No worries," Remus said, "I think I'll head back with you two, if you don't mind."

"Not at all," Sam said, "And you'll be coming, as well?" she asked of Lily.

"Absolutely," Lily promised her, "Sirius, make sure you hear everything Dumbledore tells her and don't let her forget anything important," she said with significance.

"I wasn't going to leave her," Sirius confirmed, looking at Lily as though she were crazy.

"Good luck, Sam," James offered as Sirius helped Sam into her coat.

"Thanks," Sam said, looking wistful, "You know, I wish every day that I hadn't been in that accident."

"I know," said Lily sadly.

"Do you think it really made a difference in how your life has turned out?" Sirius asked her seriously.

"I don't know. I think about that a lot," Sam admitted, putting her hands in her pockets, "Does every step we make change our lives? I mean, if I stand here for a minute longer or leave right now, am I going to die earlier or later either way? Or am I supposed to be here talking to you and I'm missing the car that would have run me over? Are our lives planned out that way or was there really a chance that I would have chosen to leave and I'd be gone right now?"

No one said a word.

"Wow. Enough philisophical babble," Sirius said after a moment.

"No, really," Sam emphasized, "Even though that accident was bad, do you think it was supposed to happen? Do you think it's going to affect the final outcome of my life?"

"You could think about everything that way, Sam," Remus said thoughtfully.

"Do you?" Sirius askeed, suddenly looking troubled.

"You had better go," Lily said, saving Sam from his question. Sam nodded and turned around, leaving Sirius and Remus to follow her. Lily sighed heavily as they exited.

"What?" James inquired.

Lily shook her head, "That was bloody depressing."

James smiled, "It puts things in perspective, I guess."

"How's that?" Lily asked, turning her head to the side.

"Well, if everything we do changes our final fate, then we'd better step carefully," he shrugged.

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Although it was only eight in the morning, the weather had gone south very quickly. Or rather, North, Sam thought, as just such a wind blew a particularly cold gust into her face, whipping her hair back and beat against her face. It had begun to drizzle, the sun was completely gone, the sky was steely.

She wished dearly she had brought a hat.

"Come here," an arm wrapped around her shoulders and pulled her closer. Sirius effectively buffered the wind and rain and for once, Sam appreciated the height discrepancy between them. She pressed her face into his chest, closed her eyes and followed him blindly until she felt as though they might be nearing the pub.

Without a word, she broke away and hurried the rest of the distance to the pub, which Muggles were passing at a very speedy pace. She opened the door and then had to grab it before the wind could whip it off of its hinges.

Sam scanned the Leaky Cauldron's pub floor. Dumbledore wasn't present.

"Is he here?" Sirius asked, arriving behind her. She shook her head, but quickly stepped inside. Sirius followed and Remus came in thirdly, the collar of his coat up around his jaw.

"Well, it's quite pleasant out, isn't it?" he said humourlessly.

"We both know that you can take much colder weather, don't we _Moony_," Sirius said, and Sam felt as though she may not have been supposed to hear the comment.

She and Lily had poked fun at the Marauder's nicknames since they had known of their existence. They weren't altogether flattering, after all, and therefore already had half of the work done towards creating an insult. Sam had never told anyone, but she was exeptionally grateful for the name Samantha, which lent itself to hardly any evil monikers.

But Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs were all so bloody specific. Although she had mocked the names, she had always been baffled at their true meaning, which she felt certain they had. Perhaps, what bothered her most of all about it was that, after seven years, she still hadn't come up with a solution.

"There he is," Remus nodded towards the fireplace where Albus Dumbledore was currently standing, though Sam had the feeling that he had just appeared there. He saw them and smiled and beckoned all towards a table that he now chose.

"I see you could not keep anyone away," Dumbledore observed, "I always wonder at your good fortune of having such strong friendships," he added.

"Yeah, it's a curse," Sirius intoned as they sat down. Dumbledore's face lost its merry glow.

"I spoke at length with some of my dearest and most respected colleagues about your dilemma, Miss Tchaikovsky," he reported, "Some of them—Professors McGonagall, Slughorn, and Ewing—you areacquainted with. Others, you are not. I combined their expertise with some of my own knowledge and opinion, but what I am about to tell you must be your choice completely."

"I understand," Sam confirmed, feeling the light, airiness of waffles turning to a feeling of dread.

"The facts are thus: your quitting of the Codeinogg opened your mind up for lost memories. The certain memories that took refuge in your mind are those of a Death Eater, providing us insight on upcoming plans of Lord Voldemort.

"As your Professor, I would not ask you to do this because it is not a simple task. However, I have dedicated a greater portion of my life to stopping Lord Voldemort and the potential that this phenomenon has as a weapon is greater than any I could have imagined."

The pub door banged open and Lily and James stepped through it. James struggled to close it behind them, but finally succeeded. Lily had already spotted their table of four and hurried over.

"I'm sorry, Professor, I didn't want to receive second-hand information on a topic so important," she sat down next to Sam. James joined them and stood over Lily.

"Not at all, Miss Evans. I think it quite wonderful that there is such strong camaraderie between my Order members. I was just about to present Miss Tchaikovsky with her options," he paused, but no one objected so he proceeded, "What I ask you to do, Miss Tchaikovsky, is to allow us to perform a series of spells to enhance the memories that you are receiving and to take potions that will attract these certain memories to your mind. The particular Death Eater that you are sharing memories with is high-ranking and to obtain more of his or her memories would be exceptionally valuable."

"What kind of potions, Professor?" Sam asked, fidgeting with her hands.

"Nothing like the Codeinogg," he promised, "the risk does not lie in the potions. Professor Slughorn, as well has one of my esteemed colleagues who is a respected alchemist, Nicolas Flamel, will be brewing the potions and they assure me that they will not be detrimental in any way to any aspect of your being. The spells have particular possible side effects but, if performed, they will be done so by some of the most experienced witches and wizards that I know.

"The only risk lies in your own mind. Not even the magical community can fully understand all of the underpinnings of the human mind. There is great risk that whatever channels we set up to receive and analyze the information will begin to destroy your mind. The risk of death is not to be underestimated."

"In what way?" Sirius spoke up and Sam glanced at him. He was looking at her.

They hadn't spoken about the Halloween-night incident after the fact. In fact, no one had brought up Halloween at all. The alcohol seemed to have done quite a number on Dmitri's memory and he had accepted—strangely without question—that he had had a bit too much fun. Sam felt as though perhaps she herself had had too much fun. But, for once in their relationship, she and Sirius appeared to be the owners of a mature relationship.

It was, in short, bizarre.

"This will be the first time that such an endeavor will be assumed and, as such, the risks cannot be misjudged. Your mind could very well be destroyed."

"I don't want to sound rude, Professor, but St. Mungo's was never one of my ultimate goals," Sam said with a wry smile.

"What do you think, Miss Tchaikovsky?"

"I'd like to do it," Sam said, without missing a beat. She felt Sirius look at her—felt everyone look at her, "If it's going to help, I'd like to do it."

"Are you sure?" Lily asked, "You don't want to think about it?"

"I just did," Sam said, looking at her.

"You're certain, Miss Tchaikovsky?"

She nodded.

"That would be wonderful," Dumbledore said, "We can begin that process in a few days. For now, I have an assignment for you based upon the dreams that Miss Tchaikovsky has been experiencing."

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James could not believe his luck.

He was standing in the queue for the Quidditch game of the year: the Wimborne Wasps v. the Irish National Team..

_And he had tickets._

It certainly wasn't his first Quidditch game and—he hoped dearly—it wouldn't be his last. But there was something undeniably fresh about standing in the cold November air, his arm around Lily, waiting to be allowed into the Irish National stadium. It was quite striking how, in London, the weather had been that of a horrid winter storm while, here in Dublin, it was merely chilly.

"Do you know what kind of _history_ this place has?" Sam asked, nearly bouncing with excitement. Far from the start of the summer, when her face hadn't smiled at all, she was beaming from ear to ear—and it currently seemed as though she were unable to stop.

"Yes," Sirius sounded affronted, but even he could not keep the contagious feeling of enthusiasm at bay and he was smiling as well.

"Do you know how _cool_ this is?" Sam asked them all. James had never seen Samantha Tchaikovsky reduced to using the word cool before, and he knew that something very rare had just happened.

Soon after Sam's consent to take on the task of psychological espionage agains Voldemort, Dumbledore had revealed to them the newest development in the order. Sam's dreams revealed that Voldemort was planning an attack at a place with an exceptionally large crowd and it was Dumbeldore's opinon that this certain Quidditch match—the only one upcoming—was the place that the Dark Lord was considering for assault.

Thus, Dumbledore had sent a group of six to the match. Lily and Sam, Sirius, Remus, Peter, and himself. James could not help wondering at the strange arrival of the fourth Marauder, who hadn't been seen for days, often weeks, at a time. As of late, James cuold think of a single time within that past month that he had seen Peter Pettigrew skulking around the Leaky Cauldron.

However, Dumbeldore had been quick to intercept Peter before he could disappear again and assigned him to accompany the group. Truth be told, James couldn't really recall an official commencement of Peter's Order service. He had been absent so often that he hadn't been present for the primary invitation to the Order. But, James reckoned, Dumbledore surely would have known if he truly was or was not part of the group.

James checked the length of the queue. They were only a few people back now. They had been waiting for nearly half an hour in the frigid, unfortunate weather.

They had all certainly dressed for the occasion. Lily was sporting a pair of grey corduroy pants, a sleek black quilted coat, a blue scarf and matching hat, black leather gloves and black boots. Sam had on a pair of dark brown pants, an aviator jacket, a white scarf and a suspiciously authentic-looking aviator hat, whose shearling ear warmers had been secured around her ears, red gloves and brown duck boots. James had opted for blue jeans, which he found had kept him sufficiently warm through his life time, a blue parka and a black knit cap pulled over his ears. The rest of the Marauders had dressed similarly, Sirius in a black jacket, Remus sporting red, and Peter dressed in a purple parka, the furlined hood around his head.

Sirius reached behind Peter and jerked the hood off his head.

"Hey!" Peter complained, looking at Sirius who had already turned back around, an innocent expression on his face. Sam tried deperately not to laugh, "It's cold!"

Lily held up her ticket for the umpteenth time.

"You're sure we have box seating?" she clarified.

"Lily," Sam looked exasperated, "B—O—X—do you see that?" Lily nodded, "Yes. We have box seats. We have box seats!" she repeated, looking absolutely thrilled. She moved from foot to foot, looking as though she had an exceptionally large amount of excitement that needed releasing, "It wouldn't matter if we didn't!" she added seriously, "We're at the Irish bloody National Stadium, Lily! And _we have box seats!"_ The excited pacing was back and all of a sudden she punched Sirius on the arm.

"Ow," he said, half-heartedly.

"Sorry," Sam said, hugging him all of a sudden. When she released him, her face was quite red, but she maintained every ounce of her excitement, "We have box seats!" She stuffed her gloved hands in her pockets as though constraining them from any more superfluous actions.

It was quiet a moment.

"What seats do we have?" Sirius asked.

"Oh shut up," Sam muttered.

"Next in line, please," a frazzled-looking witch motioned to their party. Lily handed her ticket to the lady who tore off the stub and handed it back to Lily. Each of them followed Lily's example and soon they all stood within the boundary of the stadium.

The stadium had been constructed so that the actual pitch was a few stories below the entrance so that when they entered, they were above the grass. The players were currently on the pitch, stretching and warming up.

"Oh. My. God. It's _Lynch."_ Sam said, almost physically holding her arm back to keep from pointing. Johnny Lynch was the Irish team captain and Seeker, the youngest so far at only twenty-one years old. He was famously good-looking.

"You've seen him before," Remus observed.

"Yes, but he's _right there_," Sam said. Lily laughed aloud, watching the child-like exuberance that Sam was displaying.

"Sam, is Christmas this much fun?" Lily asked.

"No," Sam said, "absolutely not."

"And there's Cunningham," Sam said, pointing to the bear of a keeper that the Irish had. He was almost as famous as Lynch for the complete opposite.

"Who's your favourite player, Sam?" Sirius asked.

"Lynch," she responded automatically.

"Oh. Of course," Sirius said, looking at her knowingly.

"His athletic ability is inspiring," Sam said, but it sounded to James to be an automated response, "He's just so _fast_," she added in breathless wonder.

"It's over compensation for lacking elsewhere," Sirius grumbled audibly.

"Let's go get our seats," James laughed, taking Lily's arm and steering her towards the flights of stairs that led to higher elevations of the field. The box was highly envied for a reason. Only five rows of seats were higher than it, giving those in the box the best view of the game.

James wasn't about to agree with Peter, but it was exceptionally cold outside, and he was quite happy that they had the box to shield them from the cold. However, he had to respect the Irish fans that filled the stadium-the place hadn't _not_ been sold out for over a hundred and two years-dressed in their warmest bits of green, orange and white clothing.

It was twenty minutes until they reached their correct level.

"Hurry up," Sirius said as the referees began to mount their brooms and inspect the field.

"Alright," James said as they entered the box and took their seats, "I'll go get some Butterbeers for everyone…is there anything else anyone wants?"

"I'll come with you," Lily offered as everyone else refused any other refreshments.

"Alright," James opened the door for Lily and they returned to the cold. James spotted a vendor immediately and flagged him down. He bought six Butterbeers and Lily took three from him to hold and they returned to the box just as the teams were lining up around the referee. From the box above their own, the announcers had begun to commentate.

"Welcome, everyone, to the Irish National Stadium!" roared a voice.

"It's Michael McCullogh," Sam said, turning towards the rest of them, holding her Butterbeer as if it were her own microphone.

"You know their _announcers_?" Lily asked, now looking concerned.

"Shh…" Sam said, turning back to the field where the green and white robes of the Irish Nationals and the black and yellow striped robes of the Wimbledon Wasps.

"Today we welcome our own Irish National Team!" Mike McCullogh bellowed and the stands erupted in cheers and Irish flags, "versus the visiting Wasps of Wimbledon."

A surprisingly loud cheer exploded and the twirling golden towels that had come to represent the Wimbledon Wasps.

"For the Irish Nationals: Captain and Seeker…Johnny Lynch!"

Michael McCullogh was forced to cease speaking until the cheers that far exceeded those for either teem had faded out. Sam let out a loud whistle and Sirius looked at her.

"That was my ear," he informed her.

"That's Johnny Lynch," Sam countered.

"Chasers O'Brian, McCormick, and Dunne, beaters Sullivan and Sullivan, and keeper Cunningham," McCullogh finished.

"The Beaters have the same last name," Lily observed.

"They're brothers, Lils," Sam informed her, "two years difference."

"You know too much," Sirius said assuredly.

"Who's your favourite Quidditch team, Peter?" Lily asked. James thought it a rather kindly action.

"Um," Peter looked startled at both the fact that soemone had spoken to him and that he was to recall a Quidditch team off the top of his head, "Um. Them," he answered vaguely, nodding out the glass of the box.

"Which?" Lily asked.

"The Wasps," Peter clarified.

"I've nothing against the Wasps," Sam said, "They've Bagman after all."

Ludo Bagman was perhaps the only player on the Wasps of whom the fans could be remotely proud. A beater, Bagman had started for the Wasps ever since he graduated from Hogwarts.

"And, for the Wimborne Wasps: Captain and Beater Ludo Bagman!" McCullogh continued on.

Once more, the cheer for the Wasps' captain was quite loud, though it was nothing compared to the welcome that Lynch had.

"Beater Knight, Chasers Wright, Dwyer, and Cole, SeekerBurgess, and Keeper Haywood," McCullogh finished the introductions, "Let the match begin!"

The referee threw the Quaffle high into the air.

"That's Cole for the Wasps who takes it downfield first," McCullogh reported, and the match had officially begun, "Cole to Wright to Cole to Wright to Dwyer to—intercepted by McCormick. McCormick reverses the play. McCormick to Dunne, Dunne takes the Quaffle downfield. He seems pretty intent upon keeping it…Dunne to McCormick. McCormick shoots….blocked by Haywood. Haywood to Dwyer."

Even with the most intense matches at Hogwarts, James was always impressed at the ferocity with which the professional teams played—with which they fought. McCullogh sounded less and less like a commentator and more and more like an auctioneer.

"Have you ever been to a Quidditch game before, Sam?" Lily asked her, watching as Sam leaned farther and farther forward.

"No," Sam admitted, "this is my first one."

"Well, we can't forget why we're here," James spoke up quietly, as there were other people with whom they were sharing the box. Remus nodded.

"We need to keep track of any activity that we think is suspicious," Moony suggested, "Sam, I'm not really sure what your dreams were like, but if you actually had a visual on the Death Eater-"

Sam shook her head.

"In any case, we all know what some of our more prominent friends look like," Lupin continued.

"Agreed," Sam said.

"Dwyer to Cole to-intercepted within the goal line by Dunne!" McCullogh roared, "Dunne to McCormick to O'Brian. O'Brian shoots! O'Brian _scores_!" McCullogh bellowed and the stadium cheered.

"Where's Lynch?" Sam asked, looking around.

"Right there," James said, "your two o'clock, about a hundred feet up." James had been keeping an eye on the professional Seeker, enjoying the chance to watch how he played the field. Lynch had been hovering for the past five minutes, simply surveying the grounds.

"O'Brian takes it down field again," McCullogh intoned, "O'Brian pass to-O'Brian drops the Quaffle," McCullogh announced, "first Beater hit of the day by Bagman and Dwyer has recovered the Quaffle."

There was a string of boos from the crowd as Bagman zoomed past.

"He's such a great player," Sam said appreciatively of Bagman's excellent Beater skill.

"They say he's mixed up with the goblins," Remus observed lightly, "Which always confuses me. If I had half of what he plays for, I wouldn't need a single bit of gold."

"Particularly from goblins," Lily agreed. James nodded in concurrence. He often hated the idea of any of his money being in the clutches of goblins, although that was where he was left with keeping it. He had recently become quite intent upon his monetary state, seeing as he was hoping to support a family quite shortly. Even though it was proported as the highest-security bank in the entire wizarding world, James often felt as though the largest threat to Gringotts was its own employees.

"Wait, look at Lynch," James said, watching as Lynch moved from his hovering position and began circling the field very slowly.

"He's watching something," Sam said, and they all followed his line of sight.

"I don't see anything," said Lily.

"It's too early in the game to spot the Snitch," Sirius said, "We've barely been playing for ten minutes."

"The shortest Quidditch game on record is three and a half seconds," Sam said quickly.

"No," James breathed, spotting something very familiar, "there it is."

From the box, he could see the golden Snitch, flitting around in its anxious manner. It was relatively stationary, considering everything that James had seen a snitch do to evade capture, flying about just above the Irish National's right goal post.

"Where?" Sam asked, her eys trained far more for the bright red Quaffle tha was currently being beaten back and forth mercilessly between teams.

"Irish goal post—" James began.

"Got it," Sam and Sirius said at the same time.

"He's seen it, too," James said, watching as Lynch looked almost entirely away from the Snitch, but just far enough not to cause too much suspicion.

"Are you sure-?" Sam began to ask, but at the moment, Lynch tore off in the true direction of the Snitch.

"Lynch has sure taken off in a hurry," McCullogh announced, "He's spotted the Snitch!" he said ecstatically as Lynch began a furious weave after the tiny golden ball that was—once again—completely devoting itself to escape, "Burgess falls into pursuit as well."

There was almost no point in the other players conintuing their game. The entire stadium was devoted to the Seekers' pursuit and it was spectacular. Both Lynch and Burgess handled their brooms with exceptional dexterity, weaving easily though the players, following the tiny golden Snitch duitifully up and down, around the hoops. Lynch, however, was clearly gaining.

The Snitch banked sharply and Burgess attempted to follow but rolled his broom. Lynch was the only one left, urging his broom to a furious speed.

"They're heading right for us," Lily said. She was right. The Snitch was hurtling straight at the box—and so was Lynch. They were gaining sped with their straight path but Lynch was reaching now, closing in.

With a final burst of speed, Lynch threw himself at the Snitch. He snatched at it but this last ditch effort had unbalanced him and he went into a mid-air roll. Once, twice, Lynch complteed two full circles before halting no more than two inches from the glass—right in front of them.

"Lynch has the Snitch!" McCullogh roared and James saw the struggling wings of the Snitch held securely in Lynch's grasp."

Lynch looked up from the Snitch in his fist to the people in the box which he had nearly wrecked into. His eyes lit on Sam and he winked.

James looked over at Sam, quite sure that any other fan girl would have been in the process of dying. But, James knew, he was in the company of perhaps the two most unaffected girls in the entire world. It had taken he and Sirius seven years each to win any sort of recognition with Lily and Sam.

Sam smiled slightly and Lynch's mouth turned up before he wheeled the broom around and turned back to the cheering fans.

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He looked over his shoulder once as he flew back triumphantly to the cheering crowd of teammates that waited for him.

"Oh, Sam, I think you may have made an impression on your favourite player," Lily said with a smile. Sam was well aware that some completely goofy brand of smile was taking up residence on her face, but she didn't care.

She was sitting in the box of the Irish National Stadium, watching her first-ever professional Quidditch match. The Irish Nationals—her team—had won and her favourite player in the history of Quidditch had just winked at her…

"What a prick," Sirius grumbled and Sam pretended she hadn't heard him.

"That was a bit short," she finally said, achieving a disappointed tone.

"But it was awesome," James said, and she smiled in agreement.

"Do you think this was the place that Voldemort was talking about, Sam?" Remus asked, reminding them all once more of their purpose here.

True, she had been given tickets to the game, but it was only under the pretense of her newest undertaking. She had agreed to not only fight the evil of Voldemort in her waking hours, but also in her subconscious.

Using the information that he had so far from her, Dumbledore had sent out three separate teams of six Order members to some of the largest gatherings of wizards in the country. Sam had a suspicion that it wasn't coincidence that Dumbledore had given them the assignment of Quidditch game, but she was exceptionally happy either way.

"I'm not sure," Sam said. Dumbeldore still had yet to perform the necessary spells on her mind in order for the subliminal espionage to take its full effect and until that point, her information gleaned was in short supply. All she really knew was that Voldemort was planning something in accordance with a large assembly of wizards.

"I think if it was going to happen, it would have already," Lily said, looking down at the stadium which was already emptying, "he would have missed the prime opportunity with the most targets. As soon as those people are out of the hundred yard boundary, they're going to Apparate."

"But if not here, where?" James asked, looking puzzled.

"I-I don't think it's going to happen here," Peter Pettigrew said, speaking for only the third time that afternoon.

"I agree with you, there, Pete," Sirius said with a nod.

"We can't let our guard down, though," Remus sighed as their box mates left through the exit.

"Agreed," Sam said as they all stood up and gathered their things, "I think we should stay until this place is near about empty, though," she advised and everyone nodded their acquiescence.

"Let's go see if they've opened up the field," James said.

"Yeah," Sam said, remembering how, after some games, the field would be opened to the public to walk on, "Can you imagine walking on the Irish National Stadium grass?"

"No," Sirius said, his voice irritatingly dreamy and sing-song, "It's an impossible dream, but a beautiful one. If I get to…I might bloody well die!"

"Shut up," Sam grumbled, "Just because you aren't excited."

"I wish we would have gone to see the Harpies," Sirius griped and Sam felt a peculiar swoop of some bitter emotion at his comment.

They were now starting down the stairs in order to return to the main level.

"That was, by far, the best Seeker catch I've ever seen," James admitted as they finished the twelfth flight, "Lynch has some skill."

"That's why he's my athletic idol," Sam commented easily, feeling that strange sense of ownership at the thought of Johnny Lynch and the Irish National Team. She had invested herself in the following of them for so long that she felt like they belonged to her. She felt as though she were somehow part of the team.

She supposed that was how the team managed to sell so many Lynch and Cunningham action figures.

"_That is not why_," Sirius emphasized every word.

"You've a horrible temper at times," Sam said evenly as they came to the fifteenth flight. Most of the other fans had cleared out—Sam wondered at how quickly they would have had to leave to already be gone—and they were free to move at their own pace which was fairly quick.

"Aw, you two are bonding over Quidditch," Lily said sweetly.

"Shut up," Sam and Sirius said together, causing the rest of their party to snicker.

"Well, was the match everything you thought it would be, Sam?" James asked. She nodded.

"A little bit more, eh?" Lily added with a wink for effect and Sam winked back.

"I don't know what you're talking about," she assured Lily.

"Oh, suddenly you're blonde, or what?" Sirius asked.

"That is not only insulting to me, but to blondes everywhere," Sam commented easily. She hopped over the last three stairs, finally having reached the main level. She walked over to the bannister that separated the level from the lower seats.

Almost all of the fans had gone, as though they had any place more important to be. At the moment, Sam couldn't think of a single location to fit that list. She surveyed the level, and then the field. It didn't look as though they were going to open it up after all.

"Oh well," she muttered, turning back to the group, "I reckon they just aren't doing that today."

"Bogus," Lily said, "You're going down to that field, Sam."

"Alright," Sam said hesitantly, feeling a bit concerned at the resolution in Lily's voice. Her friend wasn't a large Quidditch fan-she never had been- but Sam was exceptionally appreciative of the fact that she had accepted that facet of her as a friend.

"Excuse me," Lily said in her sweetest, Lily-est voice, hailing an employee of the Stadium who was dressed in a striped green and white shirt. He was an elderly gentleman, with frizzy white hair and a moustache.

"Yes, young lady?" he said.

"I'm sorry, sir," Lily began politely, "but I was under the impression that the field would be opened to the public after the match?"

"Oh," the old man said, "Sometimes it is. Today we weren't supposed to..." he looked around at their party. Sam tried to make her face as hopeful as possible. He looked back to Lily who was currently the holder of the title Best Rosy Face, "I suppose I might be able to let you all in," he said finally.

"Really?" Sam and James said at the same time-in the same voice. Lily spared her fiancee a look as James tried to regain the masculine nonchalance that was so classicly James and Sam had the feeling that she was not the only Quidditch-obsessed individual in their group.

"Sure," said the employee, "I think it's wonderful that young people are taking an interest in the _game_ of Quidditch. You couldn't imagine all of the people that come here just for the players."

"Heresy," Sam shook her head sadly as he fiddled with the lock, finally causing it to pop free. He pushed the gate in and stepped back. Sam took a deep breath and stepped out onto the grass.

"Hypocrisy," Sirius Black muttered in her ear as he followed her out.

"Wow," Remus was in awe as he took in the beauty of the place, even in November. Up close,Sam could see that the grass, while still maintaining its summer green tint, was covered by a thin layer of frost. The posts seemed grander than those at Hogwarts, although Sam had somewhat of a soft spot for those six goal posts. These were painted each orange and green ad white. There was something undeniably old about the place -she knew it hadn't been rennovated for two hundred years- but it had an undying beauty and-dare she say it?-magic.

"Wow," Sam agreed finally.

"I'll leave you lot out here," the old man said at last, "I have to go lock up the upper levels. No one should yell at you for being out here, but just in case, mum's on my name, aye?"

"Aye," Sirius said seriously as he turned back and disappeared into the bowels of the place.

"This is amazing," Sam said, wrapping her arms around herself.

"Yeah, just imagine playing on it," James smiled.

"It adds an entirely new dimension," a voice called behind them.

All six turned around to see the Sullivan brothers and none other than Johnny Lynch standing outside of the fenced area. Each had changed from their Quidditch robes. Their hair was still wet as though they had recently been in the showers. They were now sporting dark pants and sweaters and coats of various colours. They looked like completely different people without their robes. They looked normal.

"What are you lot doing in there?" Colm Sullivan, the elder of the two asked, looking amusedly at them.

"Private tour," Lily spoke first.

"What do you think?" Johnny asked, his large dark eyes looking at them all intently. Sam couldn't keep the giddy warm feeling from tingling in her feet and up her legs, spreading quickly through her body. She resolved not to let it show in her words.

"It's gorgeous," Sam surprised herself with the easy sincerity in her words.

"It is, isn't it?" Johnny continued, nodding. Kyle, the other Sullivan brother, opened the gate and all three stepped in.

"I didn't know they were giving tours today, though," Kyle commented.

"I think they may have had a wee bit o' persuasion on thier side," Colm smirked, "Who'd you talk with? Poor old Liam, I take it?"

"I didn't see a name," Lily said.

"Elderly bloke, wide chest, great big hair?" Colm prompted.

"I reckon that may have been him," Lily said with a smile.

"Preying on the old and vulnerable, are we?" Kyle asked. Sam laughed with the rest of the group and her eyes fell upon Johnny Lynch. She couldn't believe that he was right there, less than a few metres away from her. He had been the biggest celebrity in her mind for the three years since he had joined the National Team. To be honest, the Sullivan brothers had been bigger icons for a longer time- they had been on the team since she had been aware of its existence.

And now he was smiling at her. She attemtped to match it, although there was something mischievous and completely irreverent in his eyes that she felt herself begin to blush.

"I'm James Potter," James said, holding out his hand to Colm, who shook it heartily.

"Colm Sullivan," he said.

"Kyle Sullivan," Kyle introduced himself.

"Jonathan Lynch," said Johnny. It had never occurred to Sam that he might actually go by something other than the fan-bestowed moniker of Johnny.

"It's really a pleasure to meet you," James said honestly, "This is my fiancee, Lily," he put his hands on Lily's shoulders- a bit possessively Sam thought-as she shook the hands of all of the players. Each one kissed her hand despite James introduction.

"Remus Lupin," Lupin said with a wry smile.

"Peter-" Peter seemed to have forgotten the rest of his name as he stared at Colm, who was nearly twice as big as Pete in every single physical aspect.

"Pettigrew," Sirius helped him. Pete nodded, "Sirius Black," Sirius said in a very friendly manner.

"Samantha Tchaikovsky," Sam offered her hand finally, and each of the men kissed her hand in a similar manner to Lily's.

"Comment allez-vous?" Colm asked suavely, and Sam laughed heartily.

"Merci beaucoup," Sam said and Colm laughed. His hands were probably twice, if not three times as large as hers. Kyle was enormous as well, each in a broad, muscular way, but she still marveled that each flew with the grace of someone exceptionally tiny, "That was a brilliant match," Sam offered.

"Really?" for a moment, Johnny lost his insouciance and looked earnest and proud of her opinion.

"It was Sam's first game," Lily spoke up, "She's been a die hard fan of yours forever but she hadn't been to a match until today."

"I'm really...well, I'm really excited to meet you three," Sam admitted at last, "I'm a rather large National fan."

"Well, that's good," Kyle said.

"You lot were all up in the box, weren't you?" Johnny clarified.

"Yeah," Sirius spoke up, "We thought you were going to crash straight into the window," he said, clearly insulting Johnny's flying skill, which was above repraoch.

"No, we didn't," Remus said.

"That reminds me," Johnny reached into his pocket. He pulled out a tiny gold ball. It was the Snitch, "This would be a good souvenir from your first match, eh?" he smiled cheekily again, somehow obtaining a new level of audacity than Sam had ever seen in a boy's smile before.

"Thank you," Sam breathed, reaching out and taking the immobile Snitch from Johnny. She knew that with Professional- grade playing balls, the magical qualities abated after the match so that a new set of balls could be used each time. The Snitch wouldn't be flying around again. She noticed that there was some paper tied around the outside of the Snitch but she pocketed it instead of investigating.

"So that was a pretty nice catch?" Johnny asked her.

"It was alright," Sam confirmed.

"Nice," Colm punched Johnny in the arm and everyone present laughed.

"Well, we don't want to push you guys off, but the grounds crew is going to be coming through in a minute," Kyle spoke up.

"Alright," James relented, looking around once more.

"Oh!" Lily remembered, "I have a camera!"

"Would you mind?" Sam asked, taking the camera that Lily handed her.

"Sure," Johnny said, stepping in front of her and smiling.

"Oh, I just wanted a picture of the pitch," Sam said, lowering the device. He looked shocked but stepped out of the way. She clicked a few images of the goal posts and then the box from the pitch-level, "Now I reckon we could all get one together," she resisted the urge to laugh at all three celebrities' incredulous faces.

"I'll take the picture," Peter offered in a bizarrely kind act. Sam handed him the camera and they all crowded together. She was careful not to stand next to Johnny, but he grabbed her arm and pulled her over next to him. Sirius of all people took her other side, "Everyone smile- oops," Peter's fingers slipped and clicked the button before the camera was even up, "Sorry," he hoisted the camera up and aimed it. Everyone put on their best smiles. Johnny's arm was quite suddenly around her shoulders. Sirius' was around her waist. Sam draped both of her arms around the shoulders of each one. She smiled largely.

The camera clicked.

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"Maybe I'll go to the next Hollyhead game!" Sirius was close to shouting.

"Good! Everyone knows they're all lesbian anyway!" Sam hissed back.

"Yeah and Lynch is gay," Sirius responded.

"I don't care if he is," Sam said, "He's _incredible."_

"He's a tool," Sirius clarified.

"Screw you," Sam said.

"I wish you would," Sirius responded impudently. Both crossed their arms and huffed loudly in the other's direction. Sam seemed to have used every fresh response for such remarks and just shook her head. They were set opposite each other at the Leaky Cauldron table, to where they had adjourned to after Apparating away from the Irish National Stadium.

Sirius was reacting to Sam's discovery of what she had been given in addition to the snitch that Seeker Johnny Lynch had given her after the game. Wrapped around the outside on golden paper was a telephone number that Lily strongly surmised was Lynch's. Also, there was a ticket for an upcoming game.

"I'm not going to be able to go anyway," Sam muttered bitterly, looking at the date, "It's in the middle of Jamuary."

"What plans do you have?" Sirius asked, "That's two months away."

"I reckon I'll be able to sell it to someone," Sam continued on as though he hadn't spoken.

"Fine," Siruis said, leaning forward. Sam looked up at him, "Call Lynch. What's old Dmitri going to have to say about that?" he leaned back, a triumphant silence surrounding him. Lily found that it was rather uncomfortable for everyone else.

"That reminds me," Sam stood up, "I have to go meet Dmitri for dinner tonight. I'll see the lot of you later," she said, "If Dumbledore has an assignment...if anyone wants to make up anassignment, feel free to call me, eh?"

She attempted a laugh.

"Skiving off a date?" Sirius asked and Lily threw him a look before standing up and catching Sam's retreating figure.

"Would you sell that to me?" Lily asked, pointing at the ticket.

"You can just have it, Lils," Sam said, handing it to her.

"No, I'll give you a Galleon for it," Lily bartered.

"Fine."

They made the exchange.

"I wanted to take James to another match soon," Lily confided, "Did you see how happy he was today?"

Sam nodded, "I think that's sweet."

"Thanks," Lily beamed, "And hey," she grabbed Sam's arm as she turned once more.

"Yup?" Sam asked, sounding just a bit on edge.

"You have just more than a month till your birthday," Lily said with a smile, "Any idea of what you might want to do?"

Sam shrugged, "I haven't really thought about it much."

"I have," Lily said, "You're turning nineteen, Sam, this is huge!"

"Maybe," Sam said with a note of sadness in her voice.

"Well, where do you want to go?"

"I don't know Lils," Sam said.

"Who should I invite? Obviously Dmitri and then I'll be there and James, is it alright if I invite James?" she asked.

"Lily, bloody Hell. Of course it's alright if you invite James." Sam sighed.

"And obviously Sirius and now you have Johnny Lynch-"

"You will _not_ be inviting Johnny Lynch to my birthday party," Sam said, suddenly smiling.

"I don't know about that-" Lily said.

"Fine, I don't care, Lils. Thanks for thinking about it," Sam waved as she retreated up the stairs to their room. Lily sighed and returned to their table.

"Everything all right?" James asked her, wrapping his arm around him as she sat down.

"Everything's just wonderful," Lily said.

"Good," James kissed her hair.

"Where's Sirius and Remus and Peter?" Lily asked, noting the absence of the other three Marauders. James shrugged.

"They all sort of left."

"Why didn't you go with them?" asked Lily.

"And leave you here?" James asked, incredulously, "Hey, you know what I've been thinking about?"

"Mm?"

"Our honeymoon," James said, his voice low in her ear. Lily smiled.

"Me too," she admitted.

"Where do you want to go?" James asked.

"I'm not sure," Lily said, thoughtfully, "Vernon's sister has a holiday house on the Isle of Wight," Lily informed him, smiling.

"You're joking," James said, drolly.

"Absolutely," Lily said, quite serious, "Marge Dursley is one of the worst people I know."

"Her name is Marge," James commented, "That's excuse enough. Honestly, Vernon and Marge. Those are truly horrible names."

Lily began laughing at the look on James' face.

"You'd hate her," Lily assured him, "I would never, ever, make you meet her. I'm sorry that I ever have to and I'll die before I let someone I love have a dinner with Marjorie Dursley."

"Wow."

"That was a bit strong, wasn't it?" Lily asked, feeling slightly embarrassed, but not much.

"A wee bit," James said, laughing, "So...not the Isle of Wight, then?"

"Not the Isle of Wight," Lily repeated. She sighed, "Although, it would be rather nice to have a free place to stay. I haven't much money left after the wedding," she told him.

"It's tradition for the groom to pay for the honeymoon," James said easily.

"No. It's not," Lily contradicted him.

"Lily Evans, I will not let you pay for our honeymoon," James told her, firmly, "You will pick anywhere that you would like to go, and I will get you there."

"I've always liked France," Lily offered.

"I will not take you to France," James said, quickly, and Lily's jaw dropped.

"Oh. Alright then."

"Lily. This is the _French_ we're talking about here," James emphasized, "Do I need to tell you how long we and French have been going at it? And not just wizards! The Muggles go a long way back with the French too..."

"Fine. Fine. No France. Can I tell you something, though?"

"Anything."

"It doesn't matter where we go."

"No," James agreed, "It doesn't."

"I had fun at the Quidditch game today," Lily told him, taking his hand in hers and intertwining their fingers.

"I had fun eating waffles," James said.

"Maybe we should go to Belgium," Lily sighed.

James laughed, leaned in, and kissed her.


	31. Birthday Suit

Ok, so I wish that someone could have just witnessed my elated, sock-aided slide across my kitchen floor when I found out that FanFiction was working. Yeah, that's right. I made an effort to upload this two weeks ago. And FanFiction wouldn't let me see my own story! I know. The horror. But it's working! Huzzah! Now onto the note that I wrote two weeks ago:

Wow. Embarrassing. I wanted to upload this before Christmas so that when I published the Christmas chapter, you'd all be in the Christmas mood. Maybe St. Patty's day will suffice…..or Easter. Or the spirit of Friday. Whatever.

Rewritten four times for your reading pleasure. Yes. You. So you had better enjoy this and although you feel bitter resentment and didn't really remember what this title was when the alert showed up in your inbox, but you read it anyway and realised that this story really was quite good…and therefore the author was a brilliant woman with a gorgeous sense of humor and general awesomeness…

This one jumps around so sorry about that. The "good stuff" is coming up, even if it takes me a while to get this next chapter out. I pretended to be doing a report for about four hours while I rewrote this today…so….

So please enjoy.

Please.

And review.

Bloody hell, please, for the love of all that is holy, review. Lots. Looooonnnng reviews.

Love always,

Fae

P.S. Oh, I'm trying something new at the beginnings. Tell me what you think!

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**Last Time, on "Lily and James: The Last Shot" (yeah, it's a TV show. [I wish. That would be so cool]): (alright. Quick note. For this to work, you are going to have to imagine that each little bit of dialogue is a flashback. It's waaayyy cooler that way. Love you!)**

"As your Professor, I would not ask you to do this because it is not a simple task. However, I have dedicated a greater portion of my life to stopping Lord Voldemort and the potential that this phenomenon has as a weapon is greater than any I could have imagined…."

James could not believe his luck.

He was standing in the queue for the Quidditch game of the year: the Wimborne Wasps v. the Irish National Team..

_And he had tickets…_

"Maybe I'll go to the next Hollyhead game!" Sirius was close to shouting.

"Good! Everyone knows they're all lesbians anyway!" Sam hissed back.

"Yeah and Lynch is gay," Sirius responded.

"I don't care if he is," Sam said, "He's _incredible."_

"He's a tool," Sirius clarified.

"Screw you," Sam said.

"I wish you would," Sirius responded impudently….

"You have just more than a month till your birthday," Lily said with a smile, "Any idea of what you might want to do?"

Sam shrugged, "I haven't really thought about it much….You will _not_ be inviting Johnny Lynch to my birthday party," Sam said, suddenly smiling.

"I don't know about that-" Lily said.

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**Birthday Suit**

It was December.

The wind caught the rain before it found the people on the ground and carried it back up into the clouds where the cold wrapped its fingers around it and turned it into beautiful white crystals, and released them, allowed them to drift lazily back to the earth.

On the streets, people rushed back and forth over the icy white cement and cobblestones, dodging the more slippery patches and bitterly cold puddles, carrying bags and packages for Christmas. Hats and scarves and gloves did their best to arm their wearers from the cold, but the few flakes that found noses and eyelashes were welcomed. They were proof of the beauty that could be seen, they were kisses of the cold that all guarded against but secretly treasured.

One such snowflake flitted onto the wind-reddened cheek of Samantha Tchaikovsky. She, too, reveled in the cold and grey of the winter months, she treasured the electric lights of the Muggle shops and adored the sight of coats and boots. She was, however, separated by the fact that, for her, it was not the seventh day before Christmas. It was oh-nine hundred, the day before her nineteenth birthday.

She was, for the first time in a month, completely alone to do as she pleased. She had spent the past month in the company of a varied crowd—mainly her fellow Aurors and her current beau. November had been hectic and the first part of December had been the same. Increased Muggle activity only facilitated Lord Voldemort's plots to wreak havoc on the world in all forms and her duty as an active Order member had increased exponentially, although they had yet to experience the large-casualty phenomenon that Sam's dream had foretold.

Recently, Dumbledore had assigned them shifts to watch some of the central areas of Muggle activity, mainly the malls. Each day, they were allotted two four-hour shifts that may or may not be with another member. Ever two weeks, they were given a day off. However, Sam had skipped her day off the last rotation in order to have both today and tomorrow to whatever she wanted.

Now, dressed in a goldenrod coat with large black, shiny buttons and a black scarf secured around her neck, she was walking down the sidewalk with little purpose other than to be out. She reckoned she would purchase some presents for Christmas. She had a short list: Lily, James, Sirius, Remus, Peter, and Dmitri. Also, she wanted to get something for Alice and Frank Longbottom, who had been married in a rather small wedding during the last month.

With the increased Order service as well as illness in the family, both Alice and Frank had decided that it would be best to just have the ceremony performed on an evening that they both had off. The next day, they were married. Alice never bought a dress, Frank didn't have a tuxedo, there was only a priest and Alice's sister as a witness. However, they were perhaps the most happy that Sam had ever seen them. Alice hadn't been able to stop showing everyone the thin gold wedding band that was now hers (there had never been an engagement.)

Sam wasn't quite sure at all what she was going to be getting the newly-weds—or anyone else for that matter, but she carried on, relishing in the cold and snow and general Christmas cheer. Her black boots reached all the way up to her thighs and were a birthday present that she had received from her parents yesterday. They clicked and clacked in a satisfactory manner as she walked. The black hat she had worn was pulled down to her eyebrows and out of the corner of her eye, she spotted a particularly twinkly light display.

She blinked once, then twice, then shook her head. It may have been a day off, but she had something she needed to do.

The potions from Slughorn and Flamel had been delivered to her room at the Cauldron in three separate shipments. They had been nothing like the Codeinogg—they had tasted awful, but she had drunk them all the same—there hadn't been any unfavorable side effects as of yet, although she couldn't remember any of her dreams. Dumbledore had said that it was part of the process. She should start by taking the potions on a regualr schedule for at least a month before the spell session could happen. She had been on the potions for forty-two days now, and Dumbledore had asked her to meet him and some of his colleagues at number four-thirteen on this street.

She looked up at the golden address on the brightly-lit store front. It was number four hundred. A little farther down the street, she found number four-thirteen, a pink painted, two story store front with the cursive scrawl reading "Edward's Exotic Woods." Sam sighed and pushed open the door.

It was a dark store, and, not surprisingly, there were no customers. An impossibly old man with white hair stooped behind the counter, dusting off samples of zebra wood. He had a strange hat and a long white beard that covered half of a squat face. He had thick glasses and a green, pinstriped vest with a pocket watch chain hanging through one of the button holes. Sam immediately recognised the signs of a wizard attempting to weaer Muggle clothing.

"Merry Christmas, welcome to Edward's Exotic Woods," he said, seeing her standing there, "What can I help you with?"

"I'm here to meet a friend," Sam began.

"Ah…Miss Tchaikovsky," the man said, extending his hand.

"Are you Edward?" she asked, grasping his hand.

"No, no. My name is Nicholas Flamel. Have no idea who Edward is," he said in a jesting voice as he removed the glasses—another prop.

"Mr. Flamel," Sam started, "It is a pleasure to meet you, sir. Thank you for your potions…"

"It is nothing," Flamel said, turning the "open" sign on the door around as Sam heard something on the stairs. She turned and saw Dumbledore.

"Are you ready, Miss Tchaikovsky?" he asked, beckoning her forward.

"Yes sir," she said, following him as he turned back up the stairs. She heard Flamel follow them.

The upper level of the store was small, a single room, with a dusty rug on the hardwood floor and one of what Sam recognised as a Dumbledore-conjured armchair. There was one other individual in the room, a witch she didn't recognise and her cat.

Sam looked a moment on the cat, which was staring at her. It was a pretty cat—she hadn't ever been fond of the animals—but she found herself liking this cat, what with its intuitive eyes and tabby markings…

Quite suddenly, the animal took a step forward and Sam involuntarily jumped back and Professor Minerva McGonagall was standing in front of her.

"Hello, Miss Tchaikovsky."

"Hello, Professor…" Sam stuttered, "You're an—animagus?"

"Yes, Miss Tchaikovsky."

"I didn't know."

"You never asked," she said, but Sam must have given her a look which said she didn't really believe that asking would have resulted in an answer for her next words were, "You didn't need to know. Animagi are closely monitored, Miss Tchaikovsky. The Ministry only allows a dozen licenses every two years to thousands of applicants. I became an animagus…before my application was approved."

"Miss Tchaikovsky, this is Mary Ellen Horowitz. She is one of the most accomplished spell casters of the past decade," Dumbledore introduced the other witch in her thirties with long white hair and black tips. Her robes matched her hair and her eyes shone purple. Her lips were bright red.

"You're much too kind, Professor," said Mary Ellen, sounding as though she thought Dumbledore's introduction was spot on.

"This session will be brief, Miss Tchaikovsky," Dumbledore said, pointing to the chair. Sam sat down uncomfortably, "It will be a series of two dozen spells, six performed by each of us. The side effect of pain is associated with a a quarter of these spells. Ms. Horowitz will be performing those six spells, but I will be simultaneously performing a series of incantations designed to block the pain receptors in your mind. You will experience a sore fourth toe on your left foot."

Sam raised an eyebrow.

"I haven't been able to isolate that receptor," Dumbledore explained.

"Are you ready, Miss Tchaikovsky?" Mr. Flamel asked.

"Yes," Sam nodded. Flamel raised his wand. Everything disappeared.

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"I think we all know why we're here," Lily said gravely, surveying the four boys in front of her.

"I'm going to need a hint," Sirius admitted, looking just as grave.

"Birthday," Lily hinted.

Sirius looked as though he were seriously considering this hint, "Nope, I need more to work with, Evans."

"What are you going to do when spring rolls around?" James asked of Sirius, "Are you going to call her Potter?"

"Nah, I'll come up with something else. There has to be another name out there for Evans."

"Like Lily?" Remus offered, looking bored.

"Maybe. Next hint, Evans."

"Samantha Tchaikovsky."

"Nope, that was even worse."

"Is it Sam's birthday?" Peter deduced slowly.

"Yes! Thank you, Peter!" Lily said, "Sam's birthday. She is turning nineteen," Lily said, producing a piece of parchment upon which she had penned every single aspect of Sam's upcoming birthday, "There will be a party, there will be friends and gifts and chocolate cake."

"When is this happening?" James asked for clarification.

"Tomorrow, James. This is happening tomorrow."

"Where?"

"Who's coming?"

"Will there be balloons?"

"Hold on!" Lily commanded, ceasing the flow of questions. She stared at Peter, "I don't _know_ if there will be balloons, Peter. I'm sorry."

"Can there be balloons?"

"Sure, Pete," Lily said, "There can be balloons."

"Alright," Peter looked happy and sat back in his chair contentedly.

"Right, so the things that actually matter are?" Sirius asked.

"I will be doing most of this," Lily said, "But I cannot resist four extra sets of hands to help me out. Therefore your tasks are as follows: Remus, you will be baking a cake. It is German chocolate," she produced a recipe and handed it to Lupin who looked concerned, "You may eat as much of the chocolate as you would like after the cake is made, alright?"

"Alright," Lupin nodded.

"I talked with Tom and he said that you could come back whenever you needed to and use the kitchens," Lily relayed, and Lupin took a look at the old bartender, polishing a mug. He caught Lupin's eye and smiled toothily.

"Right," Lupin sighed.

"What can I do?" James asked helpfully, but Lily saw that he was slightly nervous.

"You aren't baking," Lily offered, and he looked relieved, "I need you to go buy some decorations."

"Where exactly are we having this soiree?" James asked, taking the list of decorations that Lily handed him.

"The Three Broomsticks," Lily said absently, "I thought it would be a nice spot that would be new, but familiar."

"Alright," James looked over his shopping list.

"Add balloons to that, would you?"

"Sure thing," James winked at her and Lily smiled. She wanted everything to be nice for Sam's birthday tomorrow. Honestly, she too wanted a nice day to have off. With the increased Order responsibilities, she was exhausted with work and was looking forward to a day of friends and Butterbeer.

"And you," Lily turned to Sirius, "You are buying presents."

"What?" Sirius looked concerned.

"We're all giving you money and telling you what it is that we wish to give her, and you will be buying it and wrapping it."

"That's more work than you gave anyone else," Sirius argued.

"Mate, I'm baking a cake," Lupin countered.

"And you'll have Peter to help," Lily added.

"Aw, bloody hell, Evans." Sirius whined.

"Hey," Peter said slowly, and Sirius had the decency to look ashamed.

"Sorry, mate," Sirius said, slapping Peter on the back. This instantly cured him and he smiled, "Right then, what does everyone want to get Tchaikovsky?"

"What does Sam want, Lily?" Remus asked.

_At this point in her life: love, consistency, and probably a new scarf. _"She likes scarves," Lily decided upon only revealing an abbreviated version of her thoughts.

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"How do these work?" James asked, fiddling with the rotary phone Lily was using.

"Don't touch that," she said, as James moved to unplug the phone cord from the wall.

"Better question," James prefaced, "Why would Johnny Lynch, a Quidditch player and wizard, have a telephone number?"

"You know, James, love, there are wizards who are Muggle born," Lily said with a bit of teasing, but a gentle tone. James' eyes widened beneath the lenses of his glasses and he kissed her on the forehead. She took that to mean yes. "Well then," Lily said, picking up the number that she had taken from Sam's room.

"Can I dial?" James asked her, his head on her shoulder as he looked over her shoulder at the phone.

"Sure," Lily scooted over. They were currently in the Muggle store closest to the Cauldron. It was a wee general store with cigarettes and crisps and soda, "Zero, one, three, one—"

"Hold up!" James requested as his unskilled fingers fiddled with the rotary.

"Zero, one three, one, four, four, four, nine, zero, eight, six," Lily read at a decreased pace. She was quite surprised when James successfully worked the dial.

"I borrowed your Muggle Studies book," he admitted, handing the phone to her. She just laughed as she held it to her ear. It rung four times before the other line was picked up.

"'Lo?" a male voice answered.

"Hello, I was calling for Jonathan, please?" Lily requested.

"'Old on," the voice said before shouting, "JOHN!"

"WHAT?" Lily recognized Johnny Lynch's voice.

"PHONE!" the first voice shouted.

"HOLD ON!"

Lily heard footsteps, something fall to the floor with a thud, a sworn response to whatever the incident was and a murmured, "Bloody Hell" before the phone was picked up again.

"'Lo?" Johnny spoke.

"Um," Lily wasn't sure how to address him—Johnny? Jonathan? Lynch? John? _Mr._ Lynch?—"My name's Lily Evans, you met—"

"Hello, Lily Evans," she was relieved to hear recognition on the other end.

"Hi, Johnny Lynch," she said.

"How're you?" he asked politely.

"Well, thanks. How about you?"

"Bloody wonderful, thanks for asking. What can I do for you?" he cleared his throat, "I rather thought I would be hearing from Samantha…maybe…." He added hopefully.

"Actually, it has to do with Sam. Her birthday is tomorrow and I'm throwing her a surprise party and I wanted to invite you. I mean, that is to say, you have your own schedule—"

"I'd love to, Lily," Johnny said, "Thanks for inviting me."

"Sure thing," Lily laughed in relief.

"Would she mind if I brought along Colm and Kyle? They're my mates and they liked meeting you lot—"

"She wouldn't mind at all," Lily gave James a thumbs up to signal her success. He smiled at her and started playing with a thread fraying on her sweater sleeve.

"Should I bring anything? Other than a present, I mean. What do you think she'd want?" he questioned.

"I think she'd just be happy to have you there," Lily said.

"Alright. I'll find something nice," he laughed, "What time and where?"

"The Three Broomsticks," Lily offered, "Just so long as you're there around eight, that'll be fine."

"Alright, I have a day-match tomorrow. I'll try and end it quickly, though."

Lily laughed, "Alright. Thanks. Oh, and Johnny, what do you prefer to be called?"

"Johnny's fine."

"Buy what do you prefer?" Lily emphasized.

"Jonathan, actually, thanks for asking."

"Alright. Jonathan, I'll see you tomorrow!"

"Sounds wonderful, Lily. Thank you."

Lily placed the phone back down on the receiver.

"Mission accomplished," she informed James. James took the guest list that Lily had penned from the counter top.

"You do realize that the only people coming to this are you, me, Padfoot, Moony, Wormtail—"

"Jonathan, Kyle, and Colm," Lily added.

"Dmitri's the last one left," James looked at the list, "Do we have to invite him? He's a bugger…"

"I know," Lily sighed, taking the piece of paper from James, folding it along its well-worn edges and replacing it in her shirt pocket, "But Sam's with him still, so we are, too."

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It was well after midnight when Sam opened the door to her room at the Leaky Cauldron. She was laden with bags-all recent Christmas purchases-she was exhausted from a day of shopping and walking and just _being_. As it turned out, it was much more difficult to revert to normalacy than to be on constant vigil against the most horrid evil to date.

Her hair was also cut. It turned out that Dumbledore had failed to mention another side effect of Horowitz's spells. About four inches of her hair had been completely fried, which was why Horowitz had black tips on her hair. The black was a special substance that protected her hair for the spell affected the caster as well as the target. Sam's hair had been unprotected and, as such, she had found herself needing a haircut.

Her hair was now reaching to her shoulders in long, sleek layers, with a thick layer of fringe just above her eyebrows.

She turned the knob silently and stepped inside with the utmost care, turning around to close the door behind herself. She released the brass knob and it spun back around silently and turned around, ready to tip-toe across the room when she saw someone on the bed.

"Oh!" Sam's cry was tiny and involuntary. She put one hand to her mouth in a vain effort to keep the sound in and simultaneously made an effort to hide the multiple shopping bags behind her. Lily was seated on her bed, only her eyes and nose-tip lit in the feeble wand light.

"Sorry," Lily said, chewing and swallowing a mouthful of what Sam strongly suspected were Bertie Botts. They were Lily's secret addiction. Many times, Sam had considered an intervention, particularly now when she would have actually had a force behind her in the form of the Marauders. However, as Sam made to stow the bags under her bed-one of which held a particularly enormous sampling tray of Bertie Botts (a single bean of _every single flavor_ which, it turned out, was not included in every pack)-she wasn't quite sure that James would care one way or another for his fiancee's affair with jelly beans.

"You just scared me is all-" Sam began as she straightened again.

"Sam," Lily interrupted, turning on her bed-side lamp, "Did you get a _haircut_?" she asked, as though the word itself were ridiculously inconceivable.

"Yes," Sam said, attempting to look up at her hair. All she could see was the dark of her newly-trimmed fringe, "yes I did."

"It's..." Lily stared at her and Sam knew instantly how animals in the zoo felt. She bit her lip, awaiting the verdict. She herself liked it very much, but she didn't want to colour Lily's decision, "You look _adorable."_

"Thanks," Sam sighed, smiling, "I like it."

"So do I," Lily qualified, "It's just different, is all. Your hair is _straight_," Lily said with a laugh, "I don't think I've seen it straight ever."

"I know," Sam said contentedly, sitting on her own bed.

"That's what you wanted," Lily supposed, "to be different."

It was quiet for a moment.

"Are you ready for tomorrow?" Lily spoke again.

"What's that?" Sam asked, removing her boots and replacing them in her trunk.

"Your birthday," Lily prompted.

"Yes, I suppose," Sam said, crossing her legs and placing her hands on her lap, "You said we were just having a Butterbeer at the Three Broomsticks, right?"

"Right," Lily answered, fiddling with the notebook in her lap.

"Lovely," Sam said. Again, silence fell between the two.

"Sam," Lily spoke. It was sort of this strangled noise and when Sam looked at her, her face had surpassed her hair in redness, "There's something I need to tell you." She paused for such a very long time that Sam found there was only one scenario that Lily could be reporting.

"You're pregnant," Sam surmised.

"What? No," Lily said, looking shocked, "No. I sort of invited a few people to have drinks with us."

"Alright," Sam said, "Is that it? The way you looked, I thought it was sure to be something else. I sort of expected James and everyone else to be there. But if that's it, no worries."

"Right. Well. It's more than the Marauders—why did you think I was pregnant?"

Sam turned as suspicious eye to Lily's down-turned eyes, "Who did you invite, Lily?"

"Well, I tried to invite Dmitri, and I think I may have said something wrong when I talked to him."

"What? How so?" Sam instantly felt sick. Of course Lily had tried to reach out to Dmitri. She was much too nice to snub his existence, as Sam was increasingly feeling inclined to do. What had he said? Certainly it was something insulting, horrible...

"Well, I asked him if he wanted to come celebrate your brithday and he got really upset and started swearing in Russian and then he asked if I wanted you to have a terrible year-" Lily broke off, looking upset, "Which I don't, by the way."

"Oh!" Sam realised precisely of what she was speaking, "It's an old tradition. I actually can't believe that he brought it...never mind. But it's bad luck to celebrate a birthday on the actual birthday. Sort of like jinxing yourself. You want to see if you actually make it through your birthday before you celebrate."

"Oh," Lily said, looking slightly relieved, "I suppose that….makes…sense."

"Sorry. Strange traditions," Sam apologized.

"No, not at all," Lily protested, "Look, tomorrow, I was going to go with you tomorrow to find your bridesmaid dress but the second part of the day, I have to go set up your party—"

"What is there to set up, exactly?" Sam peered at Lily.

"Not much—don't ask questions. That was my next point: this is sort of supposed to be a surprise but I know about you and your aversion to surprises so only half of this is going to be an actual surprise because that's fun for me, as your friend."

Sam crossed her arms, feeling as though very little of her birthday was going to be in her control. However—

"So Dmitri's not coming," Sam said, hoping that her tone and body language and tone would not give away her hope.

"No," Lily said, looking at her, "I'm sorry."

"Not at all," Sam said and when Lily looked quickly at her, she knew that she had spoken rashly, "I understand what, that is to say, why he won't come," she covered up her reaction, "but what else did you want to say about tomorrow?"

"Well, I thought we'd shop and have lunch and then I have to go so you'll be spending time with Sirius and Peter, who are the only two that I can spare. Then, at seven thirty, you're all set to come to your party! Which is a surprise."

"Right. Surprise!" Sam waved her hands in the air.

"Precisely. Now practice your surprised face and get some rest," Lily waved her wand and the light extinguished , "tomorrow's a big day."

Sam was left with only the light from the stars shining in the window. It was a new moon.

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"What is this?" Sam demanded, sitting down at the table that had become their own over the months. She was dressed in a red sweater dress with grey tights and red Mary Janes on her feet. It was her birthday. She was nineteen years old. There was a plate of French toast in front of her chair, "Is this for me?"

"I think so," Lily said, looking carefully at her own plate of kippers and sipping her pumpkin juice.

"Who gave it to me?" Sam asked, looking suspiciously at each of their faces. It became apparent that none were going to give the other away, "Well, in the case that this mystery gift-giver—"

"Well, if that isn't a catchy name for a super hero," Sirius scoffed, crossing his arms and looking at the table. James coughed. Sam ignored it. There was a loud clatter as Sirius dropped his fork on his plate, "You cut your hair," he said, looking at Sam intensely.

"No shit Sherlock," Sam muttered, feeling quite conscious of her new fringe all of a sudden.

"_You cut your hair_," Sirius repeated.

"Just tell her that she looks pretty so we can move on," said Remus. It was quite for a moment then:

"It looks pretty."

"In the case that he or she is within the vicinity: thank you. French toast is my favorite," she said, ignoring Sirius and cutting off a piece with the hammered silverware knife and fork. She heard Sirius open his mouth again, presumably to insult something she said—or the French—so she headed him off, "best thing the French ever did for the general populace…"

She looked sideways at Sirius, whose mouth closed with a satisfying sound.

"Happy birthday, Sam," Lupin said.

"Thanks."

"Happy birthday," said Peter.

"Thank you, Peter."

"Happy birthday," Lily smiled at her, "Are you ready to find a dress?"

"A dress for what?" Sirius asked, folding an entire piece of toast into a neat package and shoving it into his mouth.

"The wedding, Black," Sam sniffed, "You are going to be wearing something other than your usual ragamuffin getup."

"What kind of getup?"

"Ragamuffin," Sam repeated.

"One more time?"

"Shut up. You're going to have to wear, what is it, James? Muggle tuxedoes? Dress robes?"

"Dress robes, I believe," James said, "The guys are wearing dress robes. You women are dressing up as Muggles—" he broke off, realizing how he sounded. Lily and Sam had fixed him with identical faces, "Sorry," James said, kissing Lily quickly on the mouth. She didn't move.

"You guys should probably get on that," Lily said, "Ordering those is going to take a while to get in. You wouldn't want to have nothing to wear for the wedding," she said pointedly.

"Yeah, Prongsie, you'd be forced to wear your birthday suit," Sirius said, hardly stifling the guffaw that was forming in his throat, "Speaking of…"

"_Excuse me,_" Sam said rudely, cutting him off, "I am trying to enjoy _my food_."

"You could go to Madame Malkin's and order those today while Sam and I are finding a dress," Lily offered, ignoring Sirius.

"You got it," James said immediately, looking relieved to have been forgiven for the Muggle masquerade comment.

"C'mon, Prongs," Remus sighed, "I didn't sign up to go shopping—particularly for me."

"It'll be….fun," James cringed.

"Absolutely," Lily smiled, "And I'm terribly sorry that I won't be there to see you…I'm sure you'll look wonderful in everything," Lily straightened James' shirt collar and patted it so that it lay straight and dusted it off. James was rather red when she finally pulled her hands away, "So Remus, you have to make sure that he looks nice, alright?"

"On it, Evans," Remus said, draining his pumpkin juice.

"Speaking of birthday suits," Sirius apparently hadn't left his last train of thought. He reached across to Sam's plate and forked a large piece of French toast. He held it aloft by his ear while he continued his one-track conversation. She watched as the syrup ran down to a drip on the crust, "Are you going to be getting yours out in the spirit of the day?" She jerked her hand out and caught the drop of syrup before it landed on Sirius' jeans and wiped it on his cheek.

"Don't be a—" Sam began as Sirius swiped his finger across his cheek and made to wipe it on her own face.

"Time to go, Sam," Lily said, standing up and grabbing Sam's arm.

"Happy birthday," Sirius said and Sam leaned over, grabbed his hand and licked the syrup off.

"Thank you," she said, standing, grabbing her bag and threading her arm through Lily's. Just before they hit the streets, Sam Apparated to their destination: a small Muggle boutique called Bellissima.

"You're such a flirt," Lily said after they arrived.

"Am not," Sam argued, opening the door and letting Lily in first.

"You are," Lily said, immediately gravitating towards a rack of white garments. It turned out that La Bella was organized by color.

"You really want me wearing something white?"

"This isn't white," Lily scoffed, picking up the tag, "It's _porcelain_."

"Right. Sorry."

"What do you think?" Lily pulled the porcelain garment from the rack and held it out for Sam. It was indeed a pale shade of vintage, aging white. Most of it was lacy with tiny, sparkling beads sewn occasionally throughout.

"I like it," Sam prefaced, "I just feel creepy wearing white at _your_ wedding."

"Hmm…" Lily mused, "What would you like to wear? I'm wearing blue. My husband is a pure-blood wizard, I'm a Muggle-born witch. This isn't exactly your mark one, mod zero wedding."

Sam nodded, "Point taken."

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"She was…_flirting_ with me," Sirius said for the fourth time. This time, there was a response from Remus.

"Congratulations, Padfoot. A _ girl_ is _flirting _with _you_."

"She was, wasn't she? I mean, why else do you _lick syrup off someone's finger_?"

"Because you like sugar?" Peter supposed, and James laughed at the simple, unknown sarcasm in Peter's words.

"Yeah, Padfoot. I can't think of another bloody reason," James said, looking up at the wooden signs of Diagon Alley as they wove their way through the streets, looking for Madame Malkin's Robes for All Occasions.

"Yeah, well I can and let me tell you something, pal…it's a pretty flirty—" Sirius started.

"Shut up, _buddy_," Remus returned, punching Sirius soundly in the arm just as James hit him upside the head, "You're such a head case."

"Alright, knock it off," James said just before opening the door into the shop.

Madam Malkin's shop had been the same since Mrs. Potter had brought James here when he was eleven for his school robes. It was small and neat, its eggplant façade replaced by walls made entirely of mirrors. A set of seven gold-framed mirrors were lined up at the west end of the shop—enormous mirrors that stretched to the ceiling and were standing at such angles so the witch or wizard in question could see every single angle of their selves. A continuous track of robes was suspended magically a few feet above the ground, the garments revolving around the perimeter of the room.

"Hello?" a young female voice came from the unknown depths of the place. One of the many mirrors opened as a door and a slight figure stepped out.

She was a petite witch with soft, curly golden hair reaching to her delicate collarbones interwoven with golden threads and daisies. Her eyes were enormous orbs of golden hazel, surrounded by long lashes and thick eyebrows. Her nose was narrow and pointed, but in a fine way, like a doll; her lips were the palest shade of pink. She was wearing rich brown robes with gold threads woven into the fabric. She hadn't any shoes on, but many hemp anklets.

"Hello," Remus stuttered, staring at the girl with wide eyes. She smiled at him.

"How can I help you lot?" she asked, clasping her hands behind her.

"We're here for dress robes for a wedding," James told her, holding out his hand, which she shook, "James Potter," he introduced himself.

"The groom," Sirius added.

"Carlee Berry," said the girl, smiling sweetly.

"Where's Madame Malkin?" Sirius asked her, leaning against the wall.

"She's in the back," Carlee told them, moving lithely to one side of the store and removing her wand. She waved it once and the rack stopped revolving, "I'm running the shop for now. I hope you don't mind," she added with a small smile.

"We don't," Remus said, and Carlee turned a very bright expression towards him.

"Well, if it's a wedding," Carlee waved her wand again, removing four robes from the rack. They floated down and landed easily in her outstretched arms, "Then you'll want them to look formal, but at the same time, you don't want to look too stuffy, do you?"

"No," said Remus, entranced by her words. James hit his shoulder when Carlee turned away. Remus shook his head and nodded a thanks at James.

"Alright, well, these are a nice, light material so you'll stay cool, but it's soft and comfortable. It won't wrinkle under any conditions—a new charm I came up with—but it will maintain an ironed crease. It looks just like suits and very formal dress robes, but wears like Quidditch robes."

"Sounds…impressive," James smiled, looking at the formidable set of robes she was extending towards him. They were black like the tuxedoes that they boys had worn for their school ball.

"You try these on, seeing as you're the groom," Carlee handed him the hanger and grabbed his arm and pulled him towards one of the mirrors. Once they were close enough, James could see the hinges. It was a dressing room. She opened the door, stepped inside the warmly-lit area and hung the robes on the hanger, "I'll take care of your others."

"Wonderful," said James with a smile, feeling quite at ease around this Carlee Berry.

She smiled and shut the door with a snap.

James undressed and was able to succeed in donning the first layer of the robes, which was merely a pair of slacks and a dress shirt. Secondly was a black vest with a row of golden buttons of the front that he also was able to secure with little problem. However, the actual robes portion of the suit had such a strange assortment of closures that he found he was unable to put it on himself.

He opened the door to step back out into the shop and was greeted by the sight of Carlee measuring a very satisfied-looking Remus' shoulders, Sirius in some sort of white, fringed set of robes (he appeared to be much more adept at putting on strange garments) and Peter attempting to slip into a lacy purple lady's robe.

"There you are," Carlee said, abandoning the tape measure and coming over to James. He held out the robe in a rather helpless manner, "Ah," Carlee said, skillfully undoing the buttons and snaps, fitting it over James' form and securing it.

"Aww…" Sirius said infuriatingly, approaching James and adjusting his glasses over Carlee's shoulder.

"Shut up," James growled as Carlee fixed his collars.

"You look quite nice in these," Carlee smiled, helping him to the mirror, "The pants are a bit long—I had them fitted for a half-giant the other day—but I'm certain I'd be able to tailor them perfectly for you. Do you like them?"

James looked into the mirror. He looked different—that was for sure. He looked good. The suit fit him well, even though Carlee claimed she had yet to tailor it. He looked suave and classy and maybe…just maybe worthy to be married to Lily Evans.

"Carlee," Remus cleared his throat and Carlee looked up at him—actually, all of the Marauders looked up at him, "I'm going to a party tonight and I was wondering if maybe you wanted to join me."

Carlee stared at him a moment, then broke into a very large beam, "I'd love to!"

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"Here you go, Sirius," Lily released Sam's arm and prodded her towards Sirius and Peter, who were waiting for her outside of the coffee shop that they had chosen as their half-way point to deliver Sam, "I have to go with James and get the…stuff…around."

"Right," Sirius said, taking a step aside, apparently to make room for Sam to stand by them, "We'll be by at seven thirty."

"Good. Please be on time," said Lily sternly before kissing Sam on the cheek, "Happy birthday!" she said happily.

"Thanks, Lils. I love the dress. Thank you."

"Good. Speaking of: did you lot find dress robes?" Lily spoke to Sirius.

"Yeah, we did. I look particularly spectacular—"

"Get on with it," said Sam, huffily.

"And your man looks good, too. Oh! And Remus asked a girl to the, um, _thing_ tonight," Sirius said and Sam almost felt badly that she knew about the party. They had all gone through such trouble to plan it and keep it secret.

"That's sweet!" Lily exclaimed, looking thrilled, "Is she cute?"

"She's alright," Sirius shrugged, sticking his hands in his pockets.

"Oh, c'mon now, Black," Sam bumped his shoulder with her own, "When have you seen a girl you weren't attracted to?"

"Interesting question," Sirius mumbled.

"Right. I'll see you all in just under four hours, alright?"

"Alright, Lils," Sam said, "If I promise that we'll be there, will you go?"

Lily nodded.

"I pinkie promise," said Sam, "Seven thirty, I'll see you wherever it is that we're going," she added for effect.

"What the hell is a pinkie promise?" Sirius asked as Lily turned and Apparated.

"I'll show you later," said Sam with a smile.

"What's your dress look like?" Sirius asked, putting his hands in his pockets.

"I'll show you later," Sam repeated.

"What else will you show me later?"

"You. Are. Gross," Sam said, refusing to look him in the eyes .

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"She smelled like peppermint, Prongs, did you notice that?" Remus asked, leaning against one of the Three Broomsticks' tables. He hadn't stopped speaking about this Carlee Berry since Lily had arrived at the pub. It was quite full this evening, seeing as Christmas was just around the corner. Remus had secured two tables, by some miracle, for their festivities that evening.

"I did not in fact smell her. Sorry, Moony," said James, setting a bouquet of balloons on the table.

"Thanks," Lily smiled at him, "Is she pretty, Remus?"

"Yes," said Remus, looking shyly at his feet, "She's really pretty. And she's really…nice," he added.

"Well, can you really top pretty and nice?" Lily asked.

"No, not really," said Lupin, blowing up a balloon and tying it. It was truly adorable to see Remus so excited at the prospect of a date. He was such a sweetheart and Lily only hoped that Carlee Berry was half as nice as the man she was going to a party with tonight.

"I heard you looked quite nice in your dress robes," Lily said softly, walking so that she was right next to James, "Sorry I couldn't be there."

"Don't you know that it's bad luck for the bride to see the groom before the wedding in his new dress robes?" James asked, looking aghast.

"Oh yeah, sorry, I forgot about that one," Lily smiled, leaning her head against James' shoulder as she untangled the ribbons. James' hands paused for a moment and in a moment, he had put his hand under her jaw, tilted her chin up towards him and kissed her softly.

"Love you," he said quietly.

"Love you, too," Lily said, touched by the gesture.

"You know, all of this business with Moony…we're really lucky that we got together…or at least I'm lucky that you agreed to give me a chance," James revealed.

"I was eventually going to give you a chance," Lily said, "I suppose I'm lucky that you didn't give up on me."

"Not a chance," James laughed.

"Why not?" Lily inquired, "After all of those years…I was so _mean_ to you."

"No, I was always immature and rude to you. I think it was completely justified."

"It wasn't. But why weren't you going to give up on me?"

"Do we have food for this shindig?" Remus called from across the room.

"You baked the cake," James shouted back.

"Right," Lily heard Remus mutter.

"Well, why not?" Lily pressed the issue.

"Because," James sighed, "You were the prettiest person I had ever met. You still are. You're the smartest, most independent girl in the world. I wanted nothing more than to have you notice when I wasn't around because that would mean that someone like you cared what someone like me was doing. I wasn't going to give up on you because whenever you walked into a room, I felt like…well, I felt like I was immediately in the most special place in the entire world."

Lily was silenced by the words coming from James' mouth. She had the inkling that James loved her—she was positive of that fact—but this was completely…._real_. The things that he had noticed about her, the time that he had invested in her before she had even _cared_ about James Potter…it was humbling.

"But most of all," James said, "I knew that I was going to marry you from the very beginning. There was no way I would let someone else have you because I knew that I would take care of you. I wasn't sure if anyone else could take care of you…in the way that you deserved to be taken care of."

It was Lily's turn to kiss him.

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"So what do you want to do, Tchaikovsky?" Sirius asked as they walked down the sidewalks.

"I really don't have a preference," Sam said, focusing on the way that her red, high-heeled Mary Janes sounded on the drying pavement. Yesterday's snow had been shoveled to the sides, leaving a wet but drying sidewalk in between.

"Well, you're going to have to come up with something," Sirius said exasperatedly. Sam's eyes darted to the form of Peter, lollygagging behind the pair, "Ah," said Sirius, rounding on Peter, "Hey, Pete, if I give you some money, can you keep yourself busy for a few hours?"

"Sure," Peter acquiesced.

"Just be back to the Three Broomsticks by seven, okay?" Sirius reminded him.

"Seven. Got it," said Peter, taking the money that Sirius offered him.

"Seven thirty," Sam whispered just as Peter hurried off in the opposite direction down the street, dodging into a candy shop at the bottom of the lane.

"Oh well. If he turns up early, he can only be a help, right?" Sirius asked, taking her hand for some mysterious reason as they proceeded down the street, "Now what do you want to do?"

"Honestly?" Sam asked, looking at him carefully.

"Yes," Sirius said decisively.

"Alright, well, I like movies."

"Movies?"

"You know, the Muggle shows that are like our pictures except that they tell a story, you know…you took Muggle studies, you know what a movie is," Sam realized, looking up at him. He was grinning in the most infuriating way.

"You wanna go see a movie?"

"No," Sam said, suddenly unsure of the way a movie with Sirius would turn out.

"You were just sharing a little wee fact about yourself?"

"Oh, absolutely," said Sam, "I want little more than for you to know everything about myself."

"I think I'm pretty close," Sirius said, looking at her.

"You have no idea," Sam said, turning a corner, finding that they had found their way to an enormous outdoor Muggle shopping center, completely decorated for Christmas with strands of lights and trees. In the middle of the place, a small skating rink was set up.

"Oh no," Sirius said, looking completely appalled.

"Yes," Sam emphasized, pulling him towards the rink, "You never ice skated, Black."

"Believe it or not, my parents were under the impression that one did not have to skate to become a well-rounded person."

"My mum took me ice skating every Saturday when I was little."

"More Tchaikovsky Trivia," Sirius intoned.

"Shut up."

"I got you the best birthday present," Sirius said as they approached the rental booth.

A small, black-haired girl was running the rentals.

"Sizes?" she asked.

"Do you know your shoe size?" Sam asked, ignoring him, although she was relatively interested in this strain of conversation.

"Eleven," Sirius said.

"Sasquatch," Sam mumbled, looking straight ahead. "Nine," she added.

The girl handed the two pairs over the counter, "Fifteen pounds," she said.

"What?" Sirius asked in disbelief. His eyes flickered to the information board hanging behind the counter. Suddenly he leaned in and kissed her cheek, "Anything for you, _pumpkin bum,_" he said with a smile, pulling out his wallet.

"Oh," said the girl with a look of realization, "Five pounds then. Sorry about that—"

Sirius made the exchange, took the boots, placed his hand on Sam's back and guided her towards the benches to put on the skates.

"What did you just call me?" Sam demanded, "Pumpkin bum?"

"I thought that was a loving moniker."

"Care to explain?" Sam asked.

"Couples discount prices. Sorry, Tchaikovsky."

"You could have just said 'honey' or 'baby' or something normal," Sam offered.

"Is that what you prepare, baby?"

Sam cringed, "Never mind." Sam said, "What were you saying, about some stellar present?"

"Oh. Yeah. Just wait."

"That's it?"

"I'm not going to tell you," Sirius laced up his boots and stood up, surprisingly stable on the blades. "What, you thought I'd fall?"

"Shut up."

"You say that, too much."

"Let's go," Sam stumbled on the uneven blades but caught herself on the rink side, "I'm going to have to be back at the Leaky Cauldron by seven to get ready," she added.

"What?"

"I need to get dressed," she attempted to explain as she placed a tentative blade on the ice. It slid smoothly across the surface. Sirius followed without problem.

"Oh, I was currently under the illusion that you were already sporting clothes."

"Nice clothes," Sam specified, feeling that ice skating wasn't half as easy as she had remembered. There was something comforting about it all, but at the same time, she wasn't able to keep herself as steady on the blades. She took hold of Sirius' arm.

"You look nice," Sirius said, still obviously confused.

"Thanks."

"You're wearing a dress," he added.

"True," Sam said, feeling much better that she had something—or someone—to lean on.

"Fine, whatever you need to do," said Sirius.

"Well, thanks," Sam said. They were quiet for a moment as they went around the rink for the third time, "Sorry I'm taking up your day," Sam said.

"There's nowhere else I'd rather be."

"I can't tell if you're being serious or not," Sam said with a smile.

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"James, do you have some sort of tracking device on Sirius or something?" Lily asked, tapping her fingers on the table, "Just to make sure—"

"Oh, yes, allow me to call him—" James began, his tone heavy with sarcasm.

"Alright! Just asking," Lily said, checking her watch. It was seven forty-five. Sam, Sirius, and Peter were fifteen minutes late .

"Lily, I'm sure they just got caught up with something…" James said calmly, extending his hand towards her.

They had finished preparing half an hour ago. The extra time had been used to change into different clothes. James was sporting a black sweater and jeans, Lily was wearing a blue and red striped dress with long sleeves and a flattering pattern with a warm white cardigan. There was really no need to decorate extensively. The place was already partially decorated by Madame Rosmerta, the long-time barmaid of the Three Broomsticks. As Christmas was about a week out, wreaths, garland and other sprigs of greenery and cheer were interwoven through the place. They had added their balloons but also flowers and finally, the cake on the table.

It turned out that Remus may have actually had a future in the baking business. Sam's cake was a masterpiece, with three circular layers, descending in size, covered with chocolate frosting and dark chocolate glaze. On the top, white chocolate snowflakes were strewn about in an erratic but gorgeous pattern.

"I can't believe you made that," Lily admitted, taking James' hand and sitting on his lap as she looked at Remus, who was eyeing the cake and the door systematically. Carlee had yet to arrive.

"How many tons of chocolate did you use again?" asked James with a grin.

"Not tons, Prongs, grams. I used grams of chocolate and—" Remus broke off as the pub door opened with a merry sound, thanks to a series of bells attached to the door frame. It wasn't Sam or Sirius, and it wasn't Carlee. Unless, of course, Carlee had the unfortunate luck of looking like Peter Pettigrew.

"Hey guys, I'm sorry I'm late," Peter said in a rushed manner, as though he had been running from something he had just managed to escape.

"You aren't late for anything, Wormtail," James sighed, "the birthday girl isn't here yet. Is she coming?"

"I don't know," Peter said confusedly.

"Weren't you with Sirius and Sam, Pete?" Lily prompted.

"Yeah, but Padfoot gave me money to go to the candy store—" Pete pulled out a bag of chocolate bars and lollipops from behind his back. He took a rainbow lollipop from the bag and licked it noisily.

"And where did he and Sam go?" Lily asked.

"I dunno," Peter said, sitting down and continuing to consume his candy.

"Well why weren't you here at seven thirty?" Lily demanded.

"I got lost," Peter admitted, looking sadly at the rainbow candy.

"Great," Lily sighed, feeling the need to begin pacing. James obviously felt this, too, because he wrapped his arms around her waist and held her down.

"It isn't as though something bad happened to them, Lily," James attempted to soothe her, "You can't expect anything less from Sirius."

"I suppose not," Lily said, leaning her head against James' shoulder. She jumped though, as the door opened again.

A blonde witch wearing a set of lilac robes and a large amber pendant the exact color of her eyes entered the place.

"Hello," she said congenially, smiling and waving.

"Carlee!" Remus exclaimed, jumping up from his spot and walking over to greet her, "I'm glad you're here."

"Thank you," Carlee smiled at him, "Thank you for inviting me. I was quite excited to come. I asked Madam Malkin if I could leave early to be here on time. I suppose that—when you asked—I was quite too excited to remember that I was supposed to work until nine tonight," she admitted.

"Well, that was nice of her to let you go," Remus said, sticking his hands in his pockets and rocking on his heels, a behavior that Lily had noted as one of boyish uncertainty and shyness.

"I'm Lily," Lily released herself from James' grasp and shook hands with Carlee, who, she noticed, was wearing a ring on every finger.

"Carlee Berry," the other girl introduced herself and Lily saw her palms had beautiful henna tattoos across them. Carlee noticed her looking, "they aren't permanent yet," she smiled, "I just liked how they looked in the mean time."

"Nice to meet you, Carlee," Lily smiled, "I've already heard so many good things about you!"

"Thanks," Carlee blushed and James stood up.

"Nice to see you again," he said with a smile.

"Do you want a drink?" Remus asked, quickly taking Carlee's arm and leading her towards the bar. Carlee nodded and Lily watched them for a little while.

"Remus sure likes her," she commented softly to James, "he seems to be feeling quite well," she added as Lupin conjured a sunflower and handed it to Carlee, who smiled and put it in her hair before kissing Lupin quickly on the cheek. He blushed and looked at his Butterbeer.

"Oh yeah, Moony's feeling better," James said with some sort of strange knowing. Lily was about to comment on Lupin's cyclical ailment, but the door opened for a third time and three male figures entered.

"Jonathan! Kyle and Colm!" Lily hailed the new arrivals as they shrugged out of their cloaks and coats, hanging them on the monstrous coat tree that was erected near the door.

"Hey there, Lily," Jonathan approached, shaking the couple's hands as they stood at his approach, "Where's the birthday girl?" he added, and Lily saw that he was holding a long, slender gift.

"She's not here yet, so you're right on time," Lily forced a smile, still unsure of Sam's whereabouts.

"Is it a surprise party?" Colm inquired.

"Sort of," Lily responded, "She'll be surprised to see you three here."

The newcomers quickly were acquainted with the rest of the party, Carlee and Madam Rosmerta being the only two unknowns to the three Quidditch pros. Colm took a quick interest to the curvy Rosmerta and sidled up to the bar almost immediately.

"Ah, if that's not like him," Kyle laughed at his brother, "He's always looking for a lass."

"Are you seeing anyone, Kyle?" Lily asked and Kyle held up his left hand. A golden ring was on his third finger.

"I married Ellie three years ago. She's pregnant with our first little one right now," he revealed with a grin.

"Congratulations!" Lily exclaimed, clasping her hands together, "When is she due?"

"In February," Kyle said, "We're not sure if it's going to be a lass or a lad right now. Ellie wanted it to be a surprise."

"That's really quite wonderful," Lily smiled.

"Congratulations, mate," James shook Kyle's hand again.

"Thanks," Kyle said, "Eric and I are the only two on the team who are married, though I reckon Tom's set to be engaged pretty soon. He and his lady friend have been going out for a year now."

"Cunningham, their Keeper and O'Brien, their chaser," James aided Lily's memory in a whisper and she smiled her thanks.

"You'd best watch that one over there," Kyle said, nodding towards Johnny, who was talking with Remus and Carlee, "I haven't ever seen him look at a girl like he did your friend."

Lily just laughed, although she couldn't help but feeling something strange in the pit of her stomach.

With impeccable timing, the door opened and Sam stepped across the threshold, Sirius holding the door for her and following. They were forty minutes late, Lily's watch now read eight ten, but she found it hard not to suppress any resentment. It was Sam's birthday after all.

"Happy birthday!" Lily called out with a smile, and the rest of the place echoed her sentiment. Sam became quite red so that she was a few shades darker than her body-skimming frock, a pleasantly pink thing with layers of subtle ruffles that still managed to show off her trim, curved figure. All the while—after Kyle's intimation—Lily watched Johnny's face at Sam's arrival. It was clear that Kyle was correct.

"Thank you," Sam said, her hands going anxiously to her newly-straight hair to fidget with the ends. Her eyes fell on Lynch and her jaw dropped—but just slightly. Recovering, she made a beeline for Jonathan, but when she extended her hand for a shake, he hugged her and kissed her cheek lightly. Sam blushed harder still and smiled at Lynch.

Sirius, being abandoned at the door, found his way over to Lily, James, and Kyle.

"Hey, mate," Sirius said, shaking Kyle's hand, "How've you been?"

"Fine, thanks," Kyle smiled good-naturedly, "How about yourself? Keeping the birthday girl out of the way for a while, eh?"

"I guess," Sirius smiled, but Lily caught something like the air of a dejected, or rather rejected, puppy in his face.

"Mate, you have no idea how close you were to a serious throw-down with Lily," James said, offering Sirius a bottle of Butterbeer.

"Sirius Black," Lily hailed him, "If you ever make my birthday girl late again, I swear that I will hunt you down and perform a Rictusempra charm on you like you have _never_ had before, understood?" Lily explained through smiling teeth.

"Aye aye, captain," Sirius said, taking a swig of the Butterbeer, "I don't think you'll have to worry about me keeping her away any longer," he added.

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Sam felt her jaw drop and fought to get it back into place.

She honestly hadn't believed in her wildest dreams that Lily would go ahead and invite Johnny Lynch to her party. She herself was debating whether or not to maintain contact with him. What if he just thought she was a psycho-fan? What if he had given her a fake number? That didn't seem to be the case, however, seeing as Lily was able to contact him…

She decided suddenly not to stand there like an idiot and crossed the room with as much aplomb as she could muster until she stood right in front of him, putting her hand out to be shook.

"Happy birthday!" he repeated, hugging her and kissing her cheek. Sam felt a curious sensation as he pulled away.

"Thank you," she said, "I didn't think you were going to be here," she admitted.

"Lily called me and said she was throwing you a party for your birthday. I wouldn't have missed it," he said.

"Didn't you have a game?" Sam blurted, then blushed, realizing she was much more well-acquainted with the National schedule than she would have liked to admit.

"Yeah, but it was over pretty quickly," he said easily.

"Oh. Well. I'm glad you could come," she thought to say.

"Definitely," Johnny said and they were quiet for a moment during which Sam looked around the Three Broomsticks. She saw that in addition to the flowers and balloons on the table, Lily had attempted to recreate the candles of Hogwarts with tiny little birthday candles—ones and nines—floating about over their tables.

"Well, if you'll excuse me, I have to go murder Lily for putting this together," Sam smiled.

"I'll come with you," Johnny said quickly, following her across the room to the spot where Lily, James, Kyle and Sirius all stood. She stood for a moment, having a staring contest with Lily for at least ten seconds before her face broke character.

"Thank you," she said, hugging Lily tightly, "I wish you wouldn't have, but thank you."

"You're welcome!" Lily laughed, "Happy birthday."

"Thanks. Wow. I can't believe you did this," Sam said, "It's beautiful. Thanks you guys," she grouped Sirius and James together. Each of them smiled at her, "I mean, the candles, that cake," she said, her eyes falling on a particularly attractive pastry on a table.

"Lupin's quite the baker," Lily shrugged.

"No way," Sam exclaimed, looking around the pub for Remus. She spotted him talking with a cute blonde witch, "Who's that?" she asked.

"His date," James emphasized.

"No way!" she repeated, "Aw, they're adorable!"

"I know," Lily sniffled, "Aren't they?"

"Where'd he find her?" Sam asked, taking a butterbeer from a table and opening it.

"Madame Malkin's," James said, "Her name's Carlee Berry and she helped us with our robes."

"Oh, did you find some?"

"Oh yeah," James nodded, "You would have liked to see Sirius," he began and Sirius started to object. Sam smiled broadly at him.

"Really?" she asked, sounding intrigued for Sirius' benefit.

"No," Sirius said.

"He looked real nice in a white fringe-y thing," James puzzled over how to describe it, "I think it had studs and sequins on it, too."

"Just studs," Sirius grumbled and Sam laughed loudly.

"Wish I was there," she said.

"Speaking of," Lily added, "Where were you, two? You realize you were late—"

"I know, Lils, I'm sorry," Sam said, feeling quite badly. She and Sirius had just allowed time to get away from them at the skating rink. It had flown by as they went around in circles, talking about useless topics as well as those of great importance. It had been by far her most interesting interaction with Sirius, yet. She felt as though she knew him better than ever before. They had spoken more about their families and what they were going to do when—if ever—this war was over.

They talked about Quidditch and Christmas and snow and the merits of certain brooms over others…Sam had enjoyed every moment of their time together and, to be honest, she hadn't wanted to leave because for whatever time they had had that evening, Sirius was completely different. He was open and willing to talk to her and to make jokes only when appropriate and not to criticize her every move and to listen…and she was the same way with him.

"Well?" Lily asked, waiting for an explanation, "poor Pete came back with a bag full of candy. _He got lost," _she emphasized and it had the desired effect: Sam felt badly for leaving Peter behind, although she was happy to have Sirius alone…

"I took her ice skating," Sirius said, "for her present. I wanted to do something nice for her and I shanghaied her. It's my fault, Evans, I'm sorry."

"Oh," Lily said, her eyes searing between Sirius and Sam, who only nodded assent to Sirius' story, "Well, if you had a nice time."

"Very," Sirius and Sam said together and Sam looked down at the floor as the rest of the eyes in the group turned on her.

"I've a note here, for a Miss Tchee-kove-!" Madam Rosmerta began to call across the room in her husky voice.

"Right here," Sam offered, leaving the group, grateful for an excuse to go. Madam Rosmerta pointed at a small grey owl with enormous brown eyes that had landed on her bar. It stuck out its leg and Sam untied the scroll with the tiny tag reading '_Miss Tchaikovsky.' _ The owl turned and fluttered away through a tiny open window in the far wall that Sam had never noticed, but supposed was strictly for that purpose.

She unraveled that paper:

_Miss Tchaikovsky,_

_A very happy birthday to you. I hope your day was pleasant. _

_I apologise greatly, but there was one last spell that needed to be cast, but the others had to be done twenty-four hours after the others, but within a twelve hour limit after that. It will not damage your hair again (Miss Horowitz apologised multiple times for that.)_

_Professor Slughorn will be casting this last spell and issuing you your final dosage of potions. Unfortunately, this is the only time he agreed to do it—and he is only here until eleven-thirty this evening. I believe you would say that was twenty-three thirty. _

_If you would please meet with us in my office, I will have Mister Filch waiting for you at the gates. _

_Well wishes,_

Of all of the nights…Sam sighed and rolled the note up in her fist. She wasn't resentful, though. She was excited to begin this process. However, she should have liked to arrive at ten-thirty at the latest, which gave her little more than two hours at the party—that time decreased by travel and changing (she wouldn't be wearing this dress to meet Argus Filch.)

She turned around and walked back over to Lily.

"What is it?" Lily asked, leaning against James' shoulder. Sam couldn't help her eyes flickering to Johnny—who smiled—and then to Sirius—who also smiled.

"Dumbledore wants me to be there tonight by ten-thirty," she said softly, not wanting to reveal too much information in mixed company.

"Tonight?" Lily asked, looking sadly at her.

Sam shrugged, "It was the only time."

"Right, well, I suppose we can have some cake and open presents," Lily said, regaining her cheerful hostess spirit immediately.

"I'm so sorry, Lils, I didn't have any idea—"

"It's okay," Lily emphasized, but Sam had known her too long to accept her unaffected pretense.

"I'm sorry," she turned to Johnny, "You came all this way and I was late—" Sam felt her shoulders slump forward as she deflated with regret.

"Hey, it's alright!" Johnny smiled, "It wasn't 'all this way' and besides, this won't be the last time we see each other, right?"

She hated herself in that moment because she couldn't help but check Sirius' reaction. What was she looking for? Jealousy? Sorrow? Why did she care?

She hated herself even more when she saw the way that he was looking at her.

"Right," Sirius said, when it became clear that Sam wasn't going to answer immediately.

"I'll tell everyone," Sam said, finally finding her voice. She paused for a moment, trying to invent a way to have everyone listen to her. A piercing whistle—not unlike her own—shot through the atmosphere and instantly caught everyone's attention. She turned around to see Johnny looking at her with encouragement.

"Sam whistles the same way," Lily said in a way that she obviously thought was helpful.

"Right, everyone," Sam addressed the room with a smile, "Thank you for all turning out for my birthday. I appreciate it so thanks very much. Um…" she stuttered, "Unfortunately, I just received a note from my boss and I have to go take care of some business around ten. Sorry," she added.

"So let's get this cake cut!" Lily said, smiling at the group, who were slowly gravitating towards the cake and the presents which were arranged on tables by the fireplace.

"Sirius, would you light the candles?" Lily asked, fiddling with the small cake plates that she had set up. Sirius brandished his wand and set to lighting each of the twenty-one candles, which were comprised of nineteen golden, spindly ones, one number one and a number nine on the very top of the cake.

"Thanks for my cake, Remus," Sam said, as Lupin arrived with the blonde witch.

"No problem. Carlee, this is Sam," Remus introduced.

"Happy birthday," said Carlee.

"Thanks," Sam smiled at her and shook her hand, "I love your necklace."

Carlee touched it gently, "Thank you," she smiled.

"There you go, Evans," Sirius said, and Sam turned. Her cake was ablaze with candles.

"Alright, ready Sam?" Lily smiled.

"For what," Sam began, but Lily had already begun to sing. Slowly, everyone joined in to the version of 'Happy Birthday' set to the tempo of a dirge—a tendency when multiple, untrained singers attempt a song a cappella. The men's voices were low and rumbling, particularly the Sullivan brothers, the girls harmonized nicely and Sam smiled—the only real response that the victim of such a show can have. It was by far her least favorite tradition of birthdays.

When the last 'to you' was at least finished, everyone clapped at the successful completion of the thing and Sam held her hair back, took a deep breath, and blew out every single candle in sight. Just before she took another breath, Sirius turned the cake quickly and she saw that she had missed one on the other side. She was able to blow it out as well and, in the clearing smoke, everyone clapped at her success.

"Make a wish!" said Lily.

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"Make a wish!" said Lily, clapping as Sam closed her eyes after blowing out the candles.

"What'd you wish, Nutcracker?" Sirius asked Sam, who was pulling out the nine candle and licking the frosting off of the bottom.

"This is delicious, Remus," Sam congratulated Lupin.

"I'm glad," said Lupin, "because that's your present."

"Aw, thank you!" Sam said, hugging Remus, who kissed her cheek.

"Happy birthday, Sam," Lupin said as James handed out the first slice of cake. Soon, everyone was armed with a large slice of chocolate cake, a fork, and a napkin. Chairs were pulled around the cake table and within the general vicinity and calls came for Sam to begin opening her gifts.

"Alright," Sam said, finally, abandoning her cake on the table and reaching for a wrapped parcel.

"That's from Kyle and Colm," Johnny spoke up, as Sam sat poised to open the present that he had carried in.

"You guys shouldn't have bought anything," Sam chided, unwrapping the gift. She pulled a large bottle of Blishen's Firewhiskey.

"Blishen's," Sirius read off the label, "blimey…"

"Thank you," Sam said, looking quite humbled.

"It's the best you'll find," Colm told her.

"Is that Blishen's?" Rosmerta called as she cleaned a glass. Sam nodded, "That's good stuff there. The Hog's Head down the way sells shots for a Galleon each. Theirs is quite old though…more of a robust flavor that way," she added, her knowledge as a barmaid showing itself quite suddenly.

"And there you have it," Kyle said with a laugh and everyone else joined in.

"That one's from…Peter I think," said Lily, and Pete nodded as Sam pulled a suspiciously-wrapped package from the pile. Sam unwrapped it to find a lollipop.

"Thanks Pete," she said enthusiastically, giving Peter a hug.

"That one's cherry flavored," Peter informed her, "They're my favorite."

"Thanks," Sam repeated, placing the lollipop carefully in her lap.

"That's from James and myself," Lily said as Sam chose one of the two remaining presents on the table. She tore away the paper and revealed a very pretty drawstring bag, made of ribbons and leather.

"It's very pretty," said Sam, "Thank you."

"There's an undetectable extension charm on it," Lily informed her.

"Lily put it on herself," James added.

"So you can put whatever you want in it and it'll all be compact. It's repels water and dirt—" Lily said.

"—Another Lily spell," James qualified.

"So it's perfect for travel."

"Thank you," Sam repeated, smiling more fondly at the bag.

"The last one's mine," Sirius spoke up as Sam reached for the awkward package remaining.

The paper came off this as well, and Sam was left holding her final gift.

"Thanks," she said finally. Sirius looked at her, apparently satisfied with his present. It was a jug of syrup.

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"Thanks for coming," Sam said, standing up as Remus took Carlee to the door.

"It was quite fun," Carlee said with a smile, "It was very nice to meet you."

"You as well," Sam assured her. As Remus walked her to the door, Sam overheard their conversation.

"Maybe I could see you some other time," Remus began, "dinner or something…?"

"We could go dancing," Carlee suggested.

"We could go dancing," Remus repeated and they both smiled, "Well, good night then," Remus said.

"Good night," Carlee leaned in and kissed both of his cheeks and his lips. As she Apparated away, Remus was left standing at the door, blushing profusely.

"I reckon we'll be going too," Johnny said, quite suddenly next to her. Sam turned around to see the Quidditch trio with their coats on.

"Thanks for the Firewhiskey, you lot," Sam hugged both Sullivan brothers.

"Happy birthday, to you. We'll see you about, I'm sure," Kyle said, tipping his hat.

"Ayuh," Colm winked before he and his brother headed out the door, leaving Johnny behind.

"Well…"

"Thanks so much for coming," Sam said quickly, "It was really nice to see you again."

"Yeah, you too…you're probably wondering why I didn't get you a present—"

"You got me the Firewhiskey," Sam began, but he continued.

"—That was from them," he nodded towards the door, "And I was just going to ask if maybe you wanted to go to dinner with me sometime," Johnny said hopefully.

"Oh Johnny," she sighed, looking at him. She wanted nothing more than to say yes. He was such an honest, funny, kind individual, "I'm…seeing…someone…" she managed to stutter.

"Oh," he said, "well…"

"I'd love to," she added, and he looked at her happily, "Now probably isn't the best time…"

"That's okay. Whenever. He's a lucky bloke," he added kindly. Then, "you have my number, just call me, okay?" he asked, and she nodded.

"Absolutely."

"Do—do you have a number?" he asked awkwardly.

"Not really," Sam admitted, "I'm staying at the Leaky Cauldron but I'm between locations…"

"Well, if you ever get a moment, please give me a call, alright?"

"I will," she promised, "I'm not sure when, but I will. How's that?"

"Perfect," he said with the brilliant smile that lit up nearly every Quidditch poster across the nation. Without warning, he leaned in and kissed her hesitantly on the cheek. She turned her head and returned the gesture, "Right. I'll see you around."

"Bye," she managed as he left the pub, turning back twice to wave and smile.

Sam looked down and checked her watch as soon as Johnny was gone. It was nine-thirty. She had to leave soon. She turned around and returned to the place where her friends were cleaning up the party remains. Sirius was shooting down the balloons, Lily and James were sweeping up the trash (including Sirius' deflated balloons), Lupin was moving the two tables and multiple chairs back into their original places, and Peter was sleeping in a chair.

"Have a nice birthday?" Lily asked as Sam removed her wand and shot five balloons through with a single go. Sirius turned an eye to her and just shook his head with a small smile.

"Very. Thank you. Everyone. Really. Thank you," Sam said.


	32. Christmas Eve

Right. I know. I basically am the worst updater this side of, well, someone who doesn't have a FanFiction story. You can tell me how much you hate me in the review, and I thank you all kindly because if you're reading this, it means you haven't given completely up on me—or James and Lily and Sirius and Sam and Lupin and Pete (well, I hope you've given up on him.)

This is the first part of a two part Christmas special. I will choose to embarrass myself by saying that I wanted to have this out near Christmas…Christmas at the End of July anyone? I know you hate me…I hate myself. But I do hope you all are having lovely summers! (or winters, depending on your location!)

I do not, however, hate the plot behind these next two chapters. I hope you feel the same way.

Love always and always and always and always and forever,

Fae

Oh, p.s., did anyone watch the Royal Wedding? Did anyone else see Pippa-the lady-in-waiting—wearing white just like Kate? I totally started that trend with Sam's dress for Lily's wedding—they're both wearing white! Bloody hell, I rock.

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**Last Time, on "Lily and James: The Last Shot" (yeah, it's a TV show. [I wish. That would be so cool]): (alright. Quick note. For this to work, you are going to have to imagine that each little bit of dialogue is a flashback. It's waaayyy cooler that way. Also, imagine it in color. Love you!)**

"_This session will be brief, Miss Tchaikovsky," Dumbledore said, pointing to the chair. Sam sat down uncomfortably, "It will be a series of two dozen spells, six performed by each of us. The side effect of pain is associated with a a quarter of these spells. Ms. Horowitz will be performing those six spells, but I will be simultaneously performing a series of incantations designed to block the pain receptors in your mind. You will experience a sore fourth toe on your left foot."_

"I think we all know why we're here," Lily said gravely, surveying the four boys in front of her.

"I'm going to need a hint," Sirius admitted, looking just as grave.

"Birthday," Lily hinted.

"Sam's birthday. She is turning nineteen," Lily said, producing a piece of parchment upon which she had penned every single aspect of Sam's upcoming birthday, "There will be a party, there will be friends and gifts and chocolate cake."

"When is this happening?" James asked for clarification.

"Tomorrow, James. This is happening tomorrow."

"Where?"

"Who's coming?"

"Will there be balloons?"

"_You cut your hair," Sirius said, looking at Sam intensely._

"_No shit Sherlock," Sam muttered, feeling quite conscious of her new fringe all of a sudden._

"_You cut your hair," Sirius repeated._

"_Just tell her that she looks pretty so we can move on," said Remus. It was quite for a moment then:_

"_It looks pretty."_

"What do you think?" Lily pulled the porcelain garment from the rack and held it out for Sam. It was indeed a pale shade of vintage, aging white. Most of it was lacy with tiny, sparkling beads sewn occasionally throughout.

"I like it," Sam prefaced, "I just feel creepy wearing white at _your_ wedding."

"Hmm…" Lily mused, "What would you like to wear? I'm wearing blue. My husband is a pure-blood wizard, I'm a Muggle-born witch. This isn't exactly your mark one, mod zero wedding."

Sam nodded, "Point taken."

"_Carlee," Remus cleared his throat and Carlee looked up at him—actually, all of the Marauders looked up at him, "I'm going to a party tonight and I was wondering if maybe you wanted to join me."_

_Carlee stared at him a moment, then broke into a very large beam, "I'd love to!" _

"Jonathan! Kyle and Colm!" Lily hailed the new arrivals as they shrugged out of their cloaks and coats, hanging them on the monstrous coat tree that was erected near the door.

"Hey there, Lily," Jonathan approached, shaking the couple's hands as they stood at his approach, "Where's the birthday girl?" he added, and Lily saw that he was holding a long, slender gift.

"_You'd best watch that one over there," Kyle said, nodding towards Johnny, who was talking with Remus and Carlee, "I haven't ever seen him look at a girl like he did your friend."_

"Maybe I could see you some other time," Remus began, "dinner or something…?"

"We could go dancing," Carlee suggested.

"We could go dancing," Remus repeated and they both smiled, "Well, good night then," Remus said.

"Good night," Carlee leaned in and kissed both of his cheeks and his lips. As she Apparated away, Remus was left standing at the door, blushing profusely.

"_Have a nice birthday?" Lily asked as Sam removed her wand and shot five balloons through with a single go. Sirius turned an eye to her and just shook his head with a small smile._

"_Very. Thank you. Everyone. Really. Thank you," Sam said._

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**Christmas Eve**

Sam lifted her left hand and checked her watch. It was twenty three hundred on the dot. She felt badly calling Dumbledore at such an hour but it had to be done…

She stood outside of Edward's Exotic Woods and tried to look inconspicuous—an impossible task late at night, standing on the stoop of a closed shop specializing in the trade of foreign woods for currency. Not only was it the twenty-third hour, it was the twenty-third day of the month of December. In an hour it would officially be Christmas Eve. Sam bent her head down in an attempt to put her nose deeper in the folds of her tartan scarf.

At long last, she heard the click of the door being unlocked and she turned around. She turned the knob and entered the shop. It was empty, save for the figure of Dumbledore who was standing near the rows of wood displays.

"I have always fancied zebra wood. The wand did not choose me, though, of course," he observed.

"Mr. Flamel liked it as well," Sam said with a smile.

"Like minds," Dumbledore said, finally turning to face her. They stood a moment, then: "You caught something."

"Yes," Sam remembered, "It was from the same mind as the first one. I still believe that they were speaking of an upcoming event…I think that it is the same one as before. Voldemort was speaking of a mass killing of Muggles. They were speaking of it as though it's going to be happening soon, though."

"Any details, Miss Tchaikovsky?"

"Yes, sir, they were talking about a hospital. In the city. They didn't say which."

"That is very helpful, Miss Tchaikovsky, thank you."

"I'm happy to help with what I can."

"Yes. I wanted to speak to you of your upcoming trip," Dumbledore prompted.

"Yes, sir?"

"I considered your request of assignments that you might be able to help with while you're gone. Of course, if something goes terribly wrong, as an Order member, you will be expected to return via Apparition and help with what you can. In addition, I would ask you to report your dreams to my office in the castle using the isolated Floo Powder method we discussed previously."

"Of course, sir," Sam said immediately, "Is there anything else?"

"I have a journal for you, to record your dreams. I find that it helps to remember things if one writes them down," he handed her an impossibly small, red leather journal. "It expands, Miss Tchaikovsky," he said gently, and Sam removed her wand.

"Engorgio," she whispered, and the journal expanded to a more manageable size.

"You may want to ask Messers Potter, Black, Lupin, and Pettigrew about methods of writing script that can be revealed and concealed with choice words. I heard a strain of rumors that they were the writers of a very interesting map…" Dumbledore smiled at her. She attempted to return it.

"I may, sir," she said, "but…" she paused.

"This will all remain between the two of us, Miss Tchaikovsky. Until your departure, of course, whereupon I believe your friends may become aware of your plans."

"I reckon so," Sam sighed.

"My own privacy has always meant a great deal to me," Dumbledore began, "and I expect that a great majority of the populace feels the same way. I have no need to know where or why you are going, but I feel obligated to inquire if you will be safe at your destination."

"I'm going to Bulgaria, to spend some time with my boyfriend and his family. His brother and his wife are expecting a baby soon…and yes. I'll be safe."

"Very well," Dumbledore said contentedly, "If that's all, I will wish you a very happy Christmas and a safe journey. I look forward to your updates."

"Thank you sir," Sam said and Dumbledore turned to go, "Oh!" she remembered suddenly, "I have a Christmas present for you, sir." She handed him a small wrapped package. Inside were three pairs of wool socks.

"Thank you, Miss Tchaikovsky. A happy Christmas to you," Dumbledore smiled.

"Happy Christmas," Sam said, and Dumbledore Disapparated.

Sam sighed and Disapparated back to her room at the Cauldron. It was too risky to Apparate into the actual bedroom, so she chose the bathtub instead, hoping that the door and shower curtain would dull the classic Apparition pop. Carefully, she opened the bathroom door and tiptoed across the room. Lily was asleep, and Sam quickly undressed and climbed under the covers of her own bed. She tried to close her eyes, but she couldn't.

She rolled over onto her back and thought about her trip.

Dmitri had proposed it over a month ago: a trip to Bulgaria to meet his family. His brother and sister-in-law were expecting the birth of their first child earlier in the month and Dmitri thought it would be beneficial for Sam to meet his family, help his sister-in-law and celebrate the Christmas season in his home. He had also suggested that they leave the day after her birthday and stay for a while. His business with Illman was taking him back home for a while and he wanted them to be together.

Sam had argued her leaving the day after her birthday. She wanted to spend Christmas with Lily and the Marauders and the Order- Her own family was taking a holiday to the Canary Islands, but she had passed the opportunity to remain at work. Of course, she had argued this from a distance, with her hand on her wand in her pocket. It had been a large-scale argument, but Dmitri had eventually acquiesced to have her arrive on Boxing Day—if she would agree to stay with him for as long as he was there.

Seeing no other opportunity to remain in London for the holiday, Sam had agreed. She wasn't sure for how long Dmitri was planning upon staying. It couldn't be more than a month or two—or three?—at the most, and she certainly couldn't fathom not being back for the wedding at the beginning of April.

It was a dismal thing to imagine three months away from Sirius and Lily and James and Remus and even Peter—and then there was the rest of the Order! But for some reason, she felt the need to go with Dmitri. Her parents were so excited when she told them in her letters that the two were still a couple. Her mother had hinted more than once at the possibility of marriage.

It was shocking, to be sure; not that Sam hadn't thought about marriage for herself….she had done so plenty of times. Particularly with Lily's recent engagement—someone a few months her junior—Sam had attempted to imagine what exactly marrying someone would entail. It was, of course, the largest commitment that one could make, pledging to live the rest of your life with one person.

But Sam found that she could easily fathom finding someone so fantastic that it would be simple to promise to spend her time with them forever, someone with an extensive sense of humor with whom there would never be a dull moment. He would be kind and thoughtful, but not doting, and he would be devastatingly handsome so that whenever she might be bored, she could just stare at him. Her inability to tolerate stupidity guaranteed that he would be intelligent.

And he would love her back. And he would treat her with respect. And consideration.

And Dmitri didn't fit the bill.

She sighed and sat up again, looking blankly around the room for nothing in particular and everything at once, as though everything would have been in this room for all of these months and she had just not noticed.

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Lily awoke to the distinctive sound of crinkling wrapping paper.

"Happy Christmas Eve!" Sam whispered as Lily turned over and put a pillow over her head.

"Happy Christmas Eve," Lily mumbled against the pillow. She rolled over again, abandoning the pillow, suddenly infused with the warm joy of the Christmas spirit. She sat up and put her elbows on her pillow, her chin in her hands.

"Good morning," Sam said, putting a bow on top of a wrapped box. There was a small pile at the bottom of her bed.

"Good morning," Lily smiled at her, feeling distinctly groggy.

"Are you excited for your present?"

"Absolutely," Lily replied, "Are you excited for yours?"

"Oh, did you get me one?" Sam asked, looking amused, "That was thoughtful."

"Sam, I get you the best present that you could ever want every year," Lily reprimanded her, "You don't even know that you want it until you open it! But when you do, you realise that it's the only thing that you really ever wanted."

"Oh yes," Sam retorted sarcastically, although Lily knew that it was an accurate summation of her gift choice. She was infamously stellar at choosing the best Christmas presents, "And what was it that you got me this time, Lily Evans?"

"You will have to see tomorrow," Lily said, with all the mysteriousness that she could muster at –she checked the clock on her bedside table. It was five o'clock, "How long have you been up, Sam?" she asked, suddenly noting the haggard look hanging around Sam's eyes.

"A while," Sam admitted, "I just love wrapping presents."

"I know this about you," Lily said, laying her head back down on her pillow but keeping her eyes on Sam as she deftly tied a red and gold cloth ribbon on the top of a wrapped box.

"That's the last one," Sam said, "sorry I woke you up."

"No worries," Lily said, "I think I may attempt to sleep for another hour, though."

"I don't blame you," Sam laughed, "I think I'll leave you to your sleep."

Lily closed her eyes and listened to Sam move around the room, situating her presents and dressing before opening the door and closing it behind her with a click. The room was quiet then, and Lily slowly drifted back off into the bliss of sleep.

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Sam had one foot out the door and into the narrow hall of the Cauldron. She carefully closed the door as quietly as she could. She wasn't at all sure what she was going to do so early in the morning, particularly not having slept, but she reckoned that she would figure it out.

"Sam," a voice in her ear hissed and she jumped. Sirius was standing right behind her.

"Bloody hell, Sirius," she said, closing her eyes in great relief that it was him and not anyone else, "What were you doing outside of our door?" she asked, suspiciously.

"Deciding whether or not to knock," he said, following her as she turned to walk downstairs, "I needed to talk to you."

Something strange fluttered in Sam's chest at his words. She swatted it away and found her sarcasm beneath it, "At five in the morning?"

"I heard you up for a while," he defended himself, "besides, it's time sensitive."

Sam sat down in one of the abandoned chairs in the pub. Not even Tom was up this early.

Sirius sat across from her.

"So?" Sam prompted, after a moment of his doing nothing more than stare at her.

"Right. Um. So. I had the thought that maybe we could have tomorrow's dinner at my flat," Sirius said, and Sam stared. "Everyone," Sirius clarified, "I thought that _we_—as in _everyone_—could have dinner at my flat."

"I knew what you meant," Sam said defensively as he eyed her, but she felt her hopes sink a bit—not that she was sure why her hopes had been up at all.

"Right. Well, I only brought it up because we've all been so bored with this place," Sirius jerked his head to demonstrate the Cauldron, "And I'd like it to be a nice dinner. It's Christmas…and I just want it to be a nice holiday. You know…all of us are away from our families and even at my house Christmas involved family. Terrible people, but family. And we might not have our…_biological_ families, but I think that we're sort of a…_group…_that's….together…"

Sam was experiencing a swelling feeling in her throat, "I think it's beautiful, Sirius," she nodded, "I'd love to help."

"Yeah?" Sirius smiled, "that's relieving because I wasn't going to be able to do it without you."

Sam smiled too and looked down at the table, "Are you enlisting anyone else's help?"

"I wasn't going to," said Sirius, "I reckon that we can get it done."

"I _know _that we can get it done," Sam said. Sirius extended a fist and she hit it with her own. She cleared her throat, "Just wondering: why aren't you making tomorrow's dinner tomorrow?"

"Well, I reckoned we could have it done today and then have all of tomorrow to enjoy the holiday," he responded fairly.

She shrugged, "That makes sense."

"I know."

They sat for a moment, then Sirius hit the table with is palms and stood up.

"You wanna take the bike?"

"It's December," Sam said, looking uncertainly out the window at the grey sky. It was threatening to snow. Sirius paused a moment.

"Do you wanna take the bike?" he repeated.

"Fine. We'll take the bloody bike," Sam stood up and made for the door, Sirius falling in step behind her.

"Like you don't like it," Sirius smirked.

"What, pray tell, is there to like, Sirius?" Sam asked, raising her eyebrows as he opened the door for her. She turned to walk backwards so that she could face him whilst teasing. "Perhaps that icy, inescapable chill that inhabits your bones after racing through the snow at questionably high rates of speed? Or maybe the way that your hair is frozen on the ends after such a ride?"

The heel of her boot caught in one of the ice grooves and she began falling backwards. Sirius grabbed her hand before she could hit the sidewalk, and he held her a moment, suspended above the ice, looking up at him.

"Firstly, I can think of countless activities that would warm you up," he said. She gaped and he held up a silencing hand, "Such as drinking cider. Secondly, you look really pretty when there's snow in your hair."

She wanted to argue this point, but found herself more upset by the fact that she couldn't right herself: her boot was still stuck.

"Thirdly, the real draw to a ride on my motorcycle for you is that you get to hold onto me, and you can't pretend for a second that you don't like it."

She braced her weight on his arm and hoisted herself into a standing position. He was holding her hand and standing particularly close. From this proximity, she could smell the mix of cologne and smoke and rain that clung to his clothes and skin. She jerked her heel out of the ice.

"Thanks for catching me," she said.

"I will always catch you, Sam," he said quietly, releasing his grip on her hand.

Sam would torture herself later, over the numerous nuances of the word 'catch' as could be applicable under the circumstances. But that was common practice with everything that Sirius had ever said to her, and for the time being, she let herself understand it in the most literal sense.

"I don't trip up very often," she retorted, taking the helmet that he handed her.

Sirius just shook his head.

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"Where _are _they?" Lily demanded, craning her neck in vain. She, James, Remus and Peter had been waiting for Sam and Sirius for nearly an hour.

"I dunno," James said, looking only slightly concerned.

"Sirius went to his flat last night," Remus said.

"And Sam was up this morning at five. She went downstairs."

"Did she go shopping?" James asked, still sounding as though this was not the matter of national security that Lily was feeling.

"No, she already has all of her presents," Lily sighed, "I mean…do you think they're together at least? Do you think Sirius is with Sam?"

"You know what, Lily? I think that both Sam and Sirius can take care of themselves, wherever they are. And, moreover, Sirius is the one that would need Sam to be with him," James said, wrapping his arm around her shoulder, and Lily couldn't help but be comforted.

"Fine," Lily acquiesced, putting her head on James' shoulder, "As long as we all get to have dinner together at least…I mean, it's _Christmas Eve_."

"Speaking of," Remus cleared his throat rather meaningfully, "Pete, did you want to go get some last-minute presents with me today?"

"Sure," Peter said, "thanks!"

"Yeah," Remus sighed, disarmed slightly at Peter's thankfulness. The two boys stood up and Remus grabbed his coat off of the back of his chair. Peter looked outside. It had begun to snow.

"I left my coat upstairs," Peter said, "I'll be right back, okay?" He scurried off towards the stairs.

"Are you meeting Carlee, Remus?" Lily asked.

"That's a good idea," Remus' eyes widened, "Yes, I think we'll try and pick her up…maybe for lunch."

"That was nice of you to invite Peter," James said in a strange tone of voice.

"Yeah, I know," Remus said. They stood for a while, Lily feeling a strange sensation as she looked at the spot where Peter used to be. Maybe, since the inclusion of two women in the Marauder's little base camp, Peter had been excluded more than usual—maybe more than was fair. She promised not to allow this to be the case any longer. After all, such exclusion—especially after such long inclusion—couldn't be working very well for his psyche.

She also felt the strange sensation of purposefully being left alone with James.

Peter quickly returned with his trademarked purple coat with fur collar. Remus sighed.

"Let's go," he said, opening the door for Peter and, quite suddenly, Lily and James were sitting alone. They were quiet a moment.

"That was obvious, wasn't it?" James asked, and Lily didn't have to look at him to know that he was smiling sheepishly.

"A little," she said, smiling back.

"I wanted to have a day with you…actually, my parents wanted you to come over for dinner."

"What? Really?"

James nodded, "I told them that we might have plans for dinner, but my mum wouldn't leave me be about the possibility of having you over. Sorry to spring it on you. They wanted us there in about an hour and a half or so…"

"For dinner?"

"Yeah, I dunno what all they're planning."

"James…" Lily felt a swelling of pride and joy at the thought of her future in-laws wanting to see her at all, "I'm really excited."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah," she agreed, "I'll go get ready and then we can go."

"Alright then," James looked pleased, and adjusted his glasses. Lily had started across the floor when she turned back to him.

"Should I wear something nice…a dress? Or a skirt? What are you wearing?"

"I dunno," he shrugged, looking slightly alarmed, "probably jeans and a sweater."

"So: a dress?"

"I dunno, Lily. You could go as you are now. You look gorgeous—"

"I'll wear a dress then," Lily said, stepping close to him and kissing his mouth lightly, "thanks for saying I look gorgeous."

"I'll say it more often if you'll kiss me," James offered. Lily smiled and took his hand.

"You can come up and keep me company," she said, pulling him along, up to her room.  
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"Wow," Sam couldn't help herself. She was holding three paper bags stuffed full with decorations and ingredients for tomorrow's dinner. Sirius was behind her in the hall, holding twice as many bags as she was, waiting for her to step in.

She was a bit distracted, though: Sirius' flat was beautiful. Ideally placed in central London, the building was a gorgeous tall façade of brick, while Sirius' own flat was furnished in a distinctly male pattern, with two black futons and two uncomfortable-looking grey arm chairs. A glass table was in the middle of this half-hearted seating arrangement, a sleek silver lighting fixture hanging on the ceiling. A matching lighting source was above the kitchen area, consisting of four counters, one of which served as the eating area, with cold silver stools under it. The other three involved a cooking area, with a stove, an oven, a refrigerator and freezer and some cupboards. This immediate area was the only one that she could see standing on the threshold.

"So all of my neighbors are Muggles…"Sirius started, but the expression on her face as she turned to face him must have explained her thoughts more than words, "You like it?" Sirius asked.

"It's…it's really nice, Sirius," Sam admitted, "This is from the inheritance?" she remembered.

"My Uncle Alphard died a while back and left me some money," Sirius expanded his story and Sam remembered all of this information.

"Oh," Sam said, unsure of which aspect of his comment to respond to, "I'm sorry. That he died," she couldn't remember ever apologizing for Sirius' uncle's death.

"Oh, it's alright. He was getting pretty old, and he was really the only good guy in my family. The stress alone was enough to kill someone."

"Not the _only_ good guy," Sam stated, some sort of knee-jerk reaction. Was defending Sirius a knee-jerk reaction? He just smiled slightly at her.

"Where's Dmitri," Sirius asked, changing the topic to something much less desirable. Sam faltered.

"Oh. He's visiting family for Christmas."

"Not staying with you?" Sirius smirked, and Sam was torn between the strange need to defend Dmitri and side with Sirius.

"I actually wanted to stay with you," Sam blurted, "You guys, I mean."

Sirius grinned, closing the door behind her but his arm remained on the door above her, "You wanted to stay with me," he repeated.

"The lot of you," Sam qualified, although he had a real point, "I couldn't spend Christmas without—the lot of you."

"Psh. Okay. You don't have to admit that you couldn't bear to be away from me," Sirius said, "I already know."

"You wish," Sam tried to smile, but the truth in his words was startling, and she had the feeling that she was grimacing instead of really smiling. She looked up at him and was suddenly aware of how close he was, how alone they were, and how intense his grey eyes were looking down at her

"Sam…" he started, and for a moment, it seemed as though his face was leaning towards her own.

"Are you ready to decorate?" Sam asked, ducking out from under his arm and rolling up the sleeves of her burgundy sweater. Sirius lost his balance for a second, and Sam's suspicions of his leaning in were confirmed. However, his athleticism allowed him to recover within the second following, leaving her to wonder whether or not she had seen him stumble at all.

"Let's do it," Sirius said, recovering with a large smile.

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"Ready?" James asked, looking at Lily. They were standing on his parents' front stoop in the Christmas Eve snow. Lily was looking only slightly nervous, which seemed to James completely ridiculous. She was looking both beautiful and practical—the epitome of Lily Evans—with a form-fitting, long-sleeved grey dress that reached to her knees, a black bow around her waist, black tights on her legs and black heels on her feet. Over this she was wearing a black coat and purple scarf. Her red hair was fanned out over her shoulders.

She was holding a wrapped package tightly in her gloved hands: a pear tree that Lily had reduced in size and enchanted so that tiny, magical partridges lit upon the branches, flitting only within the border that Lily had allowed them.

"Absolutely," she said, smiling as he wrapped his arm around her waist and rang the doorbell.

There were two distinct scrambling noises, a call of "just a moment," a pause, and finally the door opened.

"Lily! James!" Mrs. Potter stood in the door, a brilliant smile on her face as she welcomed her son and future daughter-in-law. James recognized the signs of an impending hug, and dodged out of the way as his mother pulled Lily into an embrace.

"Happy Christmas, Mrs. Potter," Lily managed to say as she returned the gesture.

"You look so beautiful! And call me mum, please," Mrs. Potter said happily, "Are you well?"

"Yes, thank you," Lily said, and James could see her cataloguing all of the questions and requests in her mind, "mum," she added, as though slightly unsure of its validity in this situation.

"Hi Dad," James said, shaking his father's hand.

"Happy Christmas," Mr. Potter said, hugging his son and then releasing him to Mrs. Potter, who immediately enveloped him in her arms.

"Happy Christmas, Lily," said Mr. Potter, hugging her.

"Thank you, sir," she said happily.

"Has my son bought you anything nice for Christmas?" Mr. Potter asked of Lily. James sighed loudly, although it was his father's example that he constantly followed when doing things for Lily. It only made sense that he would be checking up on his son's gentleman-like qualities.

"It's a surprise, Dad," he said, "and yes, it's nice." James took Lily's hand and led her through the door into the Potter's home. He released her hand and stood behind her, taking her coat from her shoulders after she had unfastened it. He hung it on the coat rack, shrugged off his own coat, and turned back to Lily.

It was a strange sensation, to see Lily Evans standing in his childhood home. He had lived here, in Godric's Hollow, with his parents all of his life. He was an only child, but the Marauders had constantly spent summers with his family; Sirius had moved in a year and a half ago for a semi-permanent stay.

When he was eleven and twelve, just having met Lily Evans, James had had this strange fantasy of Lily being his best friend and coming over to his house to play. Of course, their previous relationship had prevented that fantasy from becoming reality, and it was a strange sort of mental jump as he looked at Lily, finally in his home, there to have lunch with her future in-laws.

"Are you coming, James?" asked Lily, turning over her shoulder. Mrs. Potter was leading her towards the kitchen, Mr. Potter in the lead. James, lost in thought, had been left behind.

"Yup," said James, hanging his coat and following the party.

The Christmas décor of the Potter home hadn't changed much in eighteen years. There were two trees: a small one in the kitchen with gingerbread cutouts, and a large one in the living room, decorated with every family ornament they had ever received or bought, magical candles suspended millimeters above the boughs of the tree. There were wreaths on every window that was facing the road, one on each door, and garlands hanging on every possible surface. Mrs. Potter's collection of magical creature figurines dressed as Father Christmas decorated the dining table, which was set for four people.

"This is from the two of us," Lily was saying as James entered the kitchen—which flowed seamlessly with the living room and dining area in between. She extended the wrapped tree to Mrs. Potter.

"Oh, that was completely unnecessary," Mrs. Potter said, smiling all the same. Mr. Potter was busy at the bar, mixing drinks for the company. He soon returned the party, passing a glass to Lily and James.

James spotted a glass of Firewhiskey with ice on the table and a glass of red wine near Mrs. Potter.

"Welcome home," said Mr. Potter, picking up his glass and clinking it with James'.

"Thanks, dad," said James, feeling only slightly odd to be drinking alcohol in the same room he used to build model brooms in.

"Oh dear, it's beautiful!" said Mrs. Potter, opening the box and gingerly retrieving the tiny potted tree.

"That is," said Mr. Potter, leaning in to examine Lily's spell work. The leaves and pears of the tree were frosted with magical ice crystals, the tiny partridges flitted about in the vicinity that Lily had deemed worthy.

"Lily made it," James said, just a tiny note of bragging in his voice. Lily looked at him exasperatedly.

"It's from both of us," Lily repeated, as Mrs. Potter crossed the room and put the tree in the middle of the mantle, amongst the other Twelve Days of Christmas décor.

"It's perfect," Mrs. Potter declared, returning to the group and hugging Lily, "thank you."

"You're welcome," Lily smiled, returning the hug.

"Dinner is nearly ready," Mrs. Potter said, "The chicken is finishing up in the oven."

James followed Lily's eyes to the stove, where three of the four burners contained self-stirring pots.

"In the mean time, I thought we could have our drinks," Mrs. Potter stepped back and motioned towards the living room. Lily went and Mrs. Potter followed, leaving the two men in the kitchen.

"She's beautiful," said Mr. Potter finally, clapping James on the shoulder, "Congratulations."

"Thanks, Dad," said James, straightening his glasses, running his hand through his hair and smiling. They followed the women and subsequently took up residence in the chairs. Mr. and Mrs. Potter sat together on the small sofa, James and Lily in each of the leather chairs.

"Almost three months until the wedding," Mrs. Potter opened the conversation, sipping her wine, "Do you have a dress, Lily?"

"Yes, I picked it out with my maid of honor, Samantha, almost a month ago.

"Really? What does it look like? If you don't mind my asking," Mrs. Potter added.

"Not at all," Lily smiled, proceeding into a description of her dress. Not wanting to break her tradition of seeing her before their wedding, James attempted not to hear her, avoiding any image from cropping up in his mind.

"That sounds beautiful," said Mrs. Potter finally, and Lily beamed, "James, have you found your robes?"

"Yes, mum," he said, coming back to the conversation.

"Lovely," she said, "Are you both excited?"

James looked to Lily, who was watching him. She smiled at him.

"Absolutely," said James. Lily nodded, still holding his gaze. She finally blinked and looked back to his parents. He looked at her profile a moment longer.

"Very much so," Lily replied.

"Would you like to see some pictures from our wedding?" Mrs. Potter asked, smiling.

"Very much so," Lily repeated, smiling largely. Mrs. Potter stood and returned very quickly with a small white album.

"Here, mum," James stood, giving his mother his seat so she could be seated by Lily. He sat next to his father. Mrs. Potter took his seat and opened the album to the first page.

"We were married in July," said Mrs. Potter, "Charlie proposed in June. I was twenty. The wedding happened very quickly."

Lily nodded, and James could see her attempting to formulate the perfect response in her mind.

"Diana took an entire day to respond after I asked her," said Mr. Potter.

"I knew I was going to say yes, I just had to get everything around," Mrs. Potter smiled at her husband.

"How did you two meet?" Lily asked.

"A mutual friend introduced us at a Quidditch game," Mrs. Potter said.

"It was a blind date, really," added Mr. Potter.

"A lucky one, I suppose," Lily smiled. Mrs. Potter passed to the next page of the album.

"Oh, remember this, Charlie?" she asked, turning the album towards Mr. Potter, who laughed at the sight of the picture. James saw a picture of his father, sitting on a pink-covered bed, covered in scratches with rose petals and leaves in his hair. He kept laughing and waving away the camera.

"Yes," Mr. Potter replied.

"Charlie tried to climb up to see me the night before the wedding. I was staying with my parents at the time, and they were both quite strict about having Charlie over at all. I was on a veritable lockdown on for three days before the wedding, so Charlie tried to climb the trellis. My father had foreseen such a situation and had loosened the nails on the trellis. Charlie fell into mum's roses."

"Well worth it," said Mr. Potter. Lily laughed and James cracked a smile, watching her.

"Mum used the roses the next day for my bouquet," Mrs. Potter flipped the next picture, "She was quite sure that a rabbit had gotten into them."

"You're lovely," said Lily, looking at the picture of Mrs. Potter on her wedding day.

"Thank you. I was quite excited," she flipped to the next page, "That is my mother…and my father."

"They look so happy."

"I think they were. For all of the grief they gave Charlie, they liked him."

"That's fortunate," said Lily, with a smile. Mr. Potter nodded in concurrence.

"I was Diana's first boyfriend," Mr. Potter said, "so her parents didn't have much practice with the situation."

"Precisely," said Mrs. Potter.

"I like to think she made a wise decision," said Mr. Potter with a smile that Mrs. Potter matched.

"I think so," she said.

"Show her the pictures of James," said Mr. Potter, getting up and refilling his drink.

"Of course," said James, smiling indulgently at his parents, as Mrs. Potter flipped to the end of the album.

"He was a perfect baby," said Mrs. Potter.

"You were adorable," Lily informed James, looking bemusedly from the picture to his face.

"Still am," said James, smiling at her.

"Still are," she repeated faintly, looking back to the page. James watched her face change expressions—never losing her smile—as his mother flipped the pages of the album.

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"Sirius, this looks wonderful," Sam informed him, as she placed the last bowl of food into the refrigerator. Over the past six hours, they had prepared a turkey, green beans, carrots, and parsnips, yams, cranberry sauce, rolls, and a pear flan. She hadn't cooked this much since Easter at her home two years ago.

"Yes. Yes it does," Sirius agreed, looking pleased as he sat down on the couch.

"I think everyone's going to love it," said Sam, crossing the flat to stand across from him.

"Well sit down," Sirius said, standing, taking her arm and pulling her over to sit next to him. She yawned as soon as she was on the cushion next to him.

"Why aren't you tired?" she asked, turning to look at him.

"I'm a vampire, I don't have to sleep," Sirius said staring at the wall across from the couch.

"You know as well as I do that vampires follow a schedule viewed by a large majority of society to be normal and sleep accounts for a mean third of their everyday lives-" Sam cited a text book, but was cut off by another yawn.

"I know," Sirius said, "All the same, you are allowed to get some sleep."

"Maybe," Sam said, feeling her eyelids closing. Her head drifted against Sirius' shoulder, "Is there any else thing that you need?"

"Any else thing?" Sirius repeated, laughing softly.

"Sorry," she whispered.

"Just sleep," Sirius rubbed her shoulder and kissed the top of her head.

"Thank you," she said, losing consciousness of the situation.

"Did you sleep at all last night?" he asked.

"No," she sighed before her eyes closed completely and drifted off into a state of not entirely unwanted rest.

She was immediately shoved into an alleyway. It was very dark and very cold, wind and snow blowing down the alley at her back. There were people on the streets, cars on the streets in front of her, but they couldn't see her. Only those in the alley with her could see the group.

There were half a dozen of them, cloaked in black, with silver masks over their faces and hoods on their heads. A tall figure pulled off his mask. A length of silver blonde hair fell out of the hood. Lucius Malfoy stared at the group.

"Do we all know our positions?" he asked, and the group nodded. She felt herself nodding with them. "Narcissa, you will be in the basement with Regulus. You—"

"We're burning the place from the bottom up," said Bellatrix with giddy glee in her voice.

"Call it what you will. Do not wreck the Dark Lord's design," Severus Snape drawled, removing his own mask.

"Just take care of your side of things, Snape," snipped Bellatrix in response and Snape's lip curled, "Reggie, are you ready to start a fire under those little filthy, ailing Muggles?"

Her head jerked once in concurrence with Bellatrix. There were still two figures whose masks were on.

"Lucius and I will be dealing with their emergency rooms," Narcissa removed her mask. As she did so, Sam saw a gold ring on the ring finger of her left hand. There was still one more figure…

"Sam! Samantha!"

Someone was shaking her. She was floating away from the alleyway, but her body remained there. She didn't like being up so high above the ground, but from here she could see where they were situated: an alleyway outside of St. Mary's Hospital. She recognized the people, too. They were Death Eaters and they were going to attack the hospital. People inside were going to die.

She had to stop them. She started to scream.

"Samantha!" the voice yelled. She startled back into reality. Sirius was above her, staring down. His hands were around her arms, shaking her awake.

"What-?"

"Are you okay?" Sirius asked evenly, looking into her eyes. "You fell asleep and started screaming."

"No. No. I just had a dream. There are Death Eaters, six of them, they're going to burn St. Mary's Hospital. They're going to kill people," she said, grabbing his arms.

"Are you sure?" Sirius asked and she nodded, "then we have to save them."

He let her up and they both retrieved their wands.

"_Expecto patronum,"_ Sam said and her silver hedgehog manifested in Sirius' flat. In a second, it was joined by an enormous silver dog. "Go and gather everyone. Quickly. They must go to the Leaky Cauldron," she instructed the hedgehog, and it was gone in an instant.

"Help her," said Sirius, and the dog disappeared.

Sam crossed the room and grabbed her coat and scarf, taking Sirius' to him.

"We'll meet them in the Cauldron and Apparate from there," she said, tying the scarf around her neck. Sirius nodded.

"Are you sure you're alright?" he asked, looking at her carefully.

"Sirius, this is what I wanted to do. I'm fine. We can stop them now."

"Alright," Sirius said.

"I'll see you there, then," she said in way of parting. In an instant, she was standing outside of the Leaky Cauldron. The wind was picking up gusto and snow, blowing it near sideways. The temperature was dropping. She pushed the door open and stepped inside.

Frank and Alice Longbottom were already inside, as were the Prewitt brothers and Dumbledore.

"Miss Tchaikovsky, what is it?" Dumbledore asked as she approached.

"The hospital, sir, I've only just seen it. It's St. Mary's Hospital. There are six Death Eaters around the corner. They're going to burn it down, sir."

It was as though Dumbledore had been expecting this news all night, for his plan came readily.

"There are only six?" he clarified, and she nodded. She felt an arm on her shoulder and looked up to see Sirius standing by her.

"Where are Lily and James?" Alice asked.

"I don't know," Sam said to her.

"I have already sent a second Patronus to summon them," said Dumbledore, "We will proceed without them in the mean time." The door to the Cauldron banged open and Lupin entered. "We will split into two groups of five. One group will be responsible for guarding the entrance to the hospital. The second team will Apparate into the building directly."

"Sir, two of the Death Eaters, Bellatrix and…another one are going down to the furnace. The others are going to begin destroying the other levels," Sam told him anxiously.

"Very well, then. A pair of you will be guarding the entrance. Three of you will be Apparating directly into the basement. The other group of five will stand by the lift entrances to the different levels. Mr. and Mrs. Longbottom, if you would please be responsible for the entrance?"

Alice and Frank nodded in agreement and left with two resounding snaps.

"Mr. Black, Mr. Lupin, and Miss Tchaikovsky, you will be going to the basement. Misters Prewitt, Mr. Potter and Miss Evans and I will be taking care of the levels of the hospital. Please go now. Apparate under one person, please."

"Yes sir," said Sam, turning to Sirius and Remus, "Sorry," she said to the both of them, extending her hand. They placed theirs on top of hers.

"Wands," said Lupin, holding his aloft as they Apparated into the hospital.

"Down here," Sirius pointed to a door to their left that clearly read 'Furnace.' He tried the handle. It was locked.

"Alohamora," Sam said and the lock clicked, the door swung open, "Lumos," she added, pushing the door open farther. It was very dark on the stairs, but below, there was a steady glow in the dark as the furnaces pumped heat into the vents, warming the patients who were awaiting Christmas, relatives, death perhaps, all upstairs.

It was, however, exceptionally silent down here. The two boys behind her were noiseless on the stairs, as was she. It was so unnaturally quiet…

"Crucio!" came the voice of Bellatrix Black. Sam dodged it easily. It was badly-cast. Bellatrix began to cackle. Her voice echoed everywhere.

The Furnace room was much larger than Sam had expected. There were nearly a dozen furnaces and twice as many pipes and heating tubs. It was very hot, and the strange glow of the furnace flames on the metal pipes made her eyes ache.

"Stupefy," she volleyed back, but only half-heartedly.

"Start the fire, Reggie," cried Bellatrix, and Sam tried desperately to locate her from her voice.

"Engorgio!"

One of the furnaces roared as it belched torches of fire from every possible opening in its side. The flames blew out of the sides like wild arms.

"Stop the fire!" Sam yelled as Regulus Black set another furnace ablaze.

"Reducto!" Sirius shouted, reducing the flames of one furnace, but Regulus was faster. All six of the furnaces were roaring flames, and the ceiling was beginning to catch fire. Sam paused just beyond the reach of one of the tongues of flame. It licked at all angles of the room and, in its light, she saw Bellatrix's head move just a few feet ahead.

"Avada-" Bellatrix began, having seen her as well. Sam wasted no time. Her incantation was shorter and she could say it much faster.

"Stupefy!" she cried again, and Bellatrix fell back, stunned. Sam advanced a step towards her body, her mind turning with the endless possibilities of simple, Muggle offense that she could now inflict. She could kick her face, spit on her, step on-

A hand grabbed her around her mouth and jerked her backwards. She struggled against the hand, attempting to bite her assailant, but to no avail. She still could not see who it was, although she had a guess.

"Shh..." said Regulus Black, holding her close to his side. She was still struggling, but Regulus was at least as strong as his older brother, his slightly stockier build giving way to larger muscles. He smelled faintly like Sirius, too, like smoke and, but darker and foggier. "You've received my memories. Well done. Well done with Lestrange, too. She's a talented duelist... It's only you and me, now. I know you," he added, looking down at her, she twisted her head to look back at him. "You're the girl my dear brother always wanted to snog."

It seemed so utterly ridiculous, a lackey of Voldemort's speaking of snogging while he held her hostage in a hospital that was catching fire right next to them. Sirius and Remus both shouted as one of the far pipes exploded. She heard Sirius yell an incantation and heard the sound of water contact a hot surface.

Regulus' face was very close to hers. She could see his eyes, darker than his brother's, a grey tinged purple and black like a stormy sky. He bore a brotherly resemblance to Sirius, but he looked exhausted, fatigued to the point of collapse.

It was enraging just how strong he was, one arm holding her head and neck, the other her arms, his knee in the back of her legs as to keep her legs at a distance. She mentally beat herself for being so easily overcome.

"Sam!" Lupin called for her, trying again to put out the flames.

"I'm not going to kill you," said Regulus, sounding bored. "I've done my job and I have to real desire for your life. Moreover, we aren't so very different, you and I, I and you. We're fighting for the same thing, after all: a better world."

He shoved her forward towards the flame and dove to the side. Grabbing Bellatrix's wrist, they both Disapparated.

She stumbled and cried out as she fell against one of the furnaces, the flames engulfing her body. She pushed herself back again and collapsed on the cement floor, her body tingling from the momentary embrace with the flames.

She held up her arm and was relieved to see no immediate burns; it was equivalent to running her fingers through a candle flame. The real damage was done to her palms, which had contacted the metal furnace side for longer than a second as she righted herself and propelled herself backwards. There were blisters forming on her finger pads palms, but she ignored them. She gripped her wand through the loud, throbbing pain that asked her to do otherwise.

"Reducto," she pointed to the flames and they quieted instantly, retained in their metal cage once more.

"Sam!" Sirius, at the far end of the row, had spotted her and ran towards her.

"I stunned Bellatrix, but before I could finish her, Regulus grabbed me."

Completely independent of the flames, she saw Sirius' eyes flash, "Are you okay?" he asked.

"Yeah, just a few blisters. He's hot," she added, smiling at her terrible pun.

"That's not funny," Sirius sighed, sounding like an adult chastising a small child who thought jokes about the toilet were humorous.

"Sorry. I touched the furnace. It truly was hot."

He extended his hand towards her. She grimaced as she wrapped her hand around his wrist, his own hand closing around her own. She braced her weight against him and allowed herself to be pulled up. She pointed her wand at another furnace and repeated the incantation. The fire desisted immediately.

"Moony took care of the ceiling. There's minor damage, but we think we've contained it," Sirius informed her.

"Good," she said simply, wincing at the pain that was overwhelming her senses. Her hands hurt with each path they cut through the air. Through the clearing smoke, she saw Lupin corner and douse the last of the flames. Above them, the Muggle smoke alarms were wailing. Sam was surprised she hadn't noticed them before.

"We need to get out of here," Sam said, "there will be employees down here any moment to investigate the smoke."

"C'mon," said Sirius, and Lupin led the way out of the furnace room.

"Wait a moment," Lupin said, pausing at the door. Sam was beginning to feel the effects of the smoke-filled room on her lungs. Remus motioned to their clothing and Sam, looking down, saw that her clothes had been singed and blackened by smoke and flame.

"Moony," Sirius protested as the sprinklers activated above them.

"Just hold still," Lupin said, brandishing his wand and waving it over the length of both of their bodies before turning its tip on himself. The singing disappeared, the cloth cleaned to its original state.

"Let's go," Sam said, opening the door.

They broke out into the unnaturally bright, white-washed world of St. Mary's Hospital. The smoke alarms outside of the furnace room were screeching, alerting the employees and visitors to the smoke. They crossed the hallway quickly and fell into the natural wake of the place. A group of nurses appeared, armed with fire extinguishers. The woman at the front desk was presumably calling the fire fighters.

Sam spotted Alice Longbottom sitting in one of the waiting area chairs, holding a magazine limply in front of her face. She approached her.

"What happened?" Sam asked, standing in front of her.

"It was clear that no one would be coming in through the doors, so Frank and I went into the building. There were two on the third level. Frank and I approached and one Disapparated immediately. The second one thought about fighting, but left as well. Above us, Dumbledore and the Prewitts took on the Malfoys."

"The Malfoy_s_?" Sirius repeated, emphasizing the plural nature of her statement. Alice nodded.

"Dumbledore saw it. The rings I mean. Narcissa married Malfoy," she informed them.

"That's disgusting," said Lupin.

"They aren't the only ones," Sam said, frowning, "I ran into Bellatrix downstairs. She was identified as 'Lestrange.'"

"No," Alice said, looking sick. She nodded. "Bellatrix and Rodolphus?"

"What sort of name is that-?" Sirius began, but Sam cut him off with a look.

"It isn't funny, Sirius," she said, "They're going to start _reproducing_."

"First off, that's nauseating; please take back your sick image," said Sirius, "Secondly, maybe we should start heading them off. Alice, you and Frank are married. Any kiddies on the way out?"

Alice began blushing harder than Sam could have imagined possible.

"Sirius," she rebuked him, choosing to kick his shin in favor of using her blistered hands.

"What? It's true. And we have Lily and James to get going here in the spring. Hell, they can start now, I won't count the months after it's born."

"Would you shut up?" Sam demanded. "Speaking of, Alice, where _are_ Lily and James?"

"They Apparated after us. They were on the sixth floor, but I don't think there was anyone there."

"There wouldn't have been," said Sam, "There were only six."

The elevator down the hallway dinged brightly and Dumbledore, the Prewitts, Lily, James, and Frank exited the silver doors. Quickly and quietly, they crossed the room to form what was now a very conspicuous group.

"I believe it would be best if we were to leave," said Dumbledore. With that, he disappeared-presumably Disapparating-but with a silence so disproportionate to the action, that it made one wonder.

"Sam-" Lily started, looking at her with concern.

"I think we should leave in groups," James submitted, his hands in his pockets. Everyone nodded in agreement. Alice stood and took her husband's arm.

"We'll see you lot around," said Frank with a solemn smile, "But just in case, happy Christmas."

"Happy Christmas," those remaining responded.

"Thanks, Sam," Alice added, "You saved a lot of lives tonight."

"Maybe," Sam responded, looking down at the floor as everyone present turned to look at her.

"We'll see you at the Cauldron," James said, taking Lily's hand and walking after Frank and Alice.

"She's right, Sam," said Lupin quietly, and Sam looked up at him, "You saved everyone here."

"No, I didn't. I saw what was going to happen. I couldn't have stopped anything by myself," she deflected the second attempt at praise. Lupin shrugged.

"I'll see you two in a bit," Remus said, before exiting.

"Hey Sam," Sirius said, and she looked up at him. He nodded towards something behind her. She turned around. Johnny Lynch was standing by the welcome desk, dressed in jeans, a red sweater and a black blazer. He looked so very much like any other man on the street-save for the atypical good looks-that she found it nearly impossible to remember him every playing Quidditch...or doing anything remotely involving magic.

"Oh," was all she could think to say.

"Go say happy Christmas," prompted Sirius, a strange look on his face. She paused. Why was this so very difficult? It was a simple phrase...

"Will you come with me?" she asked quietly, staring at the floor. She swore that Sirius laughed, but when she looked at him, the strange expression had returned.

"Sure," he said, pushing her ahead of him.

"Jonathan," she announced her approach and Lynch turned round.

"Samantha," he said, recognising her, approaching her and embracing her briefly.

"Hello," she said, hating the plain awkward nature of the word as she stepped back, nearer to Sirius.

"Hello," he returned, "'Evening, Sirius," he said, shaking Sirius' hand.

"Hey, Johnny," Sirius returned civilly, smiling slightly.

"Sirius saw you," Sam attempted to explain herself, but there was really no way to do so.

"Sam wanted to say happy Christmas," Sirius prompted her again.

"Happy Christmas," said Johnny, smiling at her.

"Happy Christmas," she responded, unsure of why she was unable to raise her voice above the volume of a mumble.

"What are you two doing here, at a hospital, on Christmas Eve?" Johnny asked, shoving his hands in his pockets.

"Working," Sam said with a terrible vagueness, stealing a sidelong glance at Sirius, who nodded. Lynch was wonderful enough not to question her explanation. "What about you?"

"Visiting my dad," said Johnny, "He's been in the hospital for...well...in and out for three years now, but he's been here for about a month and a half now. He was diagnosed with cancer three years ago. He beat it, but the doctors caught another tumor during one of his check-ups thereafter. He just recently caught pneumonia during his last chemo treatment and he had to stay."

Sam was in awe of the ease with which Lynch was relaying this information.

"I'm sorry," she said briefly, knowing full-well what little consolation that contraction and word truly were. Lynch shrugged.

"Thank you, but I've accepted what's happened. So has he. He's really strong about it all, you know?"

"Yeah," Sam whispered, feeling as though Mr. Lynch was not the only strong member of his family, "What about St. Mungo's-?"

"He's a Muggle," said Lynch simply.

"My parents are, too," Sam said, feeling as though this was a negligible piece of similitude between them.

"I wanted to come down and wish him a happy Christmas, give him his gift...you know," Lynch said, "My sister's coming into town tonight and she's going to be with him tomorrow. They kicked me out of the room after the fire alarm went off."

"Yeah, we heard that happen," said Sirius easily, sounding the perfect balance of confused, casual, and concerned.

"I'm sorry your visiting time was cut short," she hesitated, "It's good to be with family and friends over the holidays, even if it's a short while," she finished, her mind still reeling from attempting to catalogue all of this new information.

"Aye," said Lynch.

"Well, we won't keep you any longer," Sam said, fighting the urge to run away that had taken up residence somewhere in her chest when Sirius had first pointed Lynch out to her.

"Not at all," Lynch said, sounding happy, "Do you two have plans for tomorrow?"

"Wha-?" Sirius started, then faltered, "No. No we do not."

"Dinner actually," Sam reminded him, "Just dinner, though."

"Maybe you and your friends would like to come down to a pick-up game I'm having with Kyle and Colm tomorrow. It's sort of a tradition for us at the Stadium."

"The National Stadium?" Sirius clarified.

"Yeah. It's closed for the next two days, but we always play a match on Christmas, just for fun."

"I've never played Quidditch on Christmas," Sam said, enjoying how the suggestion tasted in her mouth.

"Maybe you lot could stop by then. We have plenty of brooms. We usually start about ten thirty," Johnny said.

"That sounds like a lot of fun," Sirius said, his eyes smiling as he looked down at her, "What do you think, Sam?"

"I'll ask Lily and everyone else, but I reckon that would be good."

"Brilliant," Lynch said, rubbing his hand on the back of his neck and smiling.

"Well, Happy Christmas then," Sirius offered, pushing the parting only slightly.

"Aye," said Lynch, "You as well. Oh, Samantha, I never told you…your haircut looks nice."

"Thanks," she blushed, "I'll see you around?

"You always seem to," Lynch grinned.

"Bye," said Sam with a smile as Sirius took her arm and began towing her away. Johnny shook his head and smiled, turning back to the woman at the desk.

"He has it for you so badly," Sirius laughed as they broke out onto the street.

"Is that hard to believe?" Sam asked, still attempting to correctly record the emotions she had experienced in the past hour in a way that would be most beneficial to her mind.

"No, not at all," said Sirius, looking sideways at her, "It's just funny to watch."

She looked away and tried to put her gloves on. She gasped and dropped her glove as she remembered her blistered palms. She had managed to forget about them for the past fifteen minutes.

"What?" Sirius asked, stooping to retrieve her dropped glove from the ground.

"I hurt my hand, is all," she said. He took it in his own and examined the palm.

"Bloody hell. You weren't kidding about the blisters," he muttered, removing his wand and waving it over her hand. She immediately experienced relief in the pain, and when she looked again, the blisters had depressed. He repeated the spell on her other hand.

"Thanks," she said, taking her gloves back from him.

"Any time," he muttered, putting his hands in his pockets. She looked at him for a long time then took his arm. She leaned her head on his shoulder.

"We need to meet them at the Cauldron," she said, looking up at the sky. It was dark already, night having fallen sometime between their arrival and exit to and from the hospital. The air was cold, but not bitterly so, though she could feel the wind begin to shift so as it was coming from the North.

"It's a twenty minute walk from here," said Sirius.

"Alright," she acquiesced quietly and easily, enjoying the clash of Sirius' warmth and the Christmas Eve cold on both sides of her face.

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"There you are," said Lily, standing up as Sirius walked into the Cauldron. He stepped aside, holding the door open for Sam, who stepped in second.

"Hello," Sam said, crossing the room and hugging Lily tightly.

"We were starting to get worried," said Lupin, raising his eyebrows, "Waltzing in a bit late."

"Sam wanted to walk," said Sirius, taking off his coat and sitting down next to Lupin.

"Yes…" Sam said hesitantly, looking at Sirius through narrowed eyes, "We also saw Jonathan at the hospital."

"Jonathan. Lynch?" James clarified.

"The very same," said Sirius.

"How'd you know he liked to be called Jonathan?" Lily asked, never remembering sharing that information with her.

"I don't know," Sam said, looking slightly confused.

"You can tell us about that later," Lily shooed off the topic, feeling as though the Death Eater attack was a much more pressing one.

She and James had been enjoying very delicious dessert with the Potters when Dumbledore's Patronus had appeared inside their dining room, asking them very politely to please attend to the Leaky Cauldron: there was an emergency.

She and James had apologized profusely, but the Potters had hurried them out the door, insisting that they needed to go. Upon their arrival at the Cauldron, James and Lily had found Dumbledore and the Prewitt brothers, who gave them a very succinct version of what had occurred.

Apparently Sam had had a dream of a Death Eater attack being planned on St. Mary's Hospital. The rest of the Order was already at the hospital—they had to go as well.

A moment later, they were on the inside of St. Mary's Hospital, decorated to the festive maximum with trees, holly, and lights. Dumbledore had ordered Lily and James to the fifth and seventh floors-deep within, Lily and James knew that Death Eaters stalked the Muggles in their sick beds.

As it turned out, there were no Death Eaters on the fifth or seventh levels. After two thorough sweeps, she and James had descended to the fourth level, where Dumbledore and the Prewitts had dueled the Malfoys. Lily was especially sickened by the news that Narcissa Black and Lucius Malfoy had been married. They had been a couple at Hogwarts, as she and James had been, but for some reason, they thought of their future children made Lily quite uneasy.

Upon their arrival to the fourth floor, they had assisted Dumbledore and the Prewitt brothers in cleaning up after the duel. There were about two dozen memory modifications to be made and, after half an hour of special spell casting, it appeared as though none of the Muggles would remember their encounter with magic.

"Dumbledore said you had a dream," Lily prompted Sam, wishing to hear her side of the story.

"Yes, I fell asleep and saw the memory of one of the Death Eaters. It was happening almost in concurrence with the feed of the dream, and we were able to get the Patronuses out to everyone in time."

"We?" Lily repeated.

"Sirius and I," Sam clarified, "Which brings me to the point of: where were you two?"

"My parents invited us over for lunch," James said, "For some reason, Dumbledore's Patronus found us—not either of yours."

"Hmmm…" Sam sat. Lily looked round at the group. They were all looking increasingly exhausted, but still somehow festive. She attributed this mainly to the Christmas décor that Tom had been putting up for an hour now, decorating the Leaky Cauldron for the impending holiday. There were four Christmas trees, one in each corner of the pub, green boughs over every doorway and window, holly sprigs on tables, and small fairies flitting about, their warm golden glow providing the magical equivalent of electric Christmas lights.

"Lynch asked if we wanted to go play a pick-up game of Quidditch tomorrow," Sirius said.

"On Christmas?" Lily asked.

"That would be tomorrow," Sam said dryly.

"We don't really have anything else planned," James said.

"Does Voldemort take the day off for Christmas?" Lupin asked. Sirius smirked.

"Busy opening his presents, I'd reckon," James added.

"And then there's pudding to be eaten—" Sirius commented and everyone laughed.

"Can he digest things like a normal person? I mean, all that evil…" Sam asked. Sirius grinned. "But what do you reckon, Lils? Sound like fun?"

"I'm sure it would be for you lot—Quidditch players."

"We all learned to fly first year," Lupin countered, "And I didn't play on the team, but I'd be up for it."

"You've been outvoted," Sam said. Lily turned to James, who shrugged.

"Democracy, eh?" he smiled, and Lily felt something suspiciously like nerves take permanent residence somewhere between her stomach and her chest. She hadn't _despised _flying, per se, but it was no accident that she hadn't gone out for the Quidditch team. It certainly wasn't her forte.

"It will be fun, Lils, I promise," Sam said, reaching over and placing her hand on her forearm.

"And it's a pick-up game, Lily," Lupin added, "It's all for fun."

"Christmas fun, no less," James added, grinning at her. She couldn't keep the smile off of her face.

"I'm sure it will be," Lily said.

"That means presents, food, _Quidditch_…there's an excellent Christmas waiting in the wings, my friends," Sam said, starting to smile.

"We should get to bed before the big day starts," Lily said, checking her watch it was going on nine.

"It isn't that late," Sirius said, checking his own watch.

"It feels like a long day, though, doesn't it?" Lily asked, and everyone agreed. "As far as gifts go…"

"We'll get 'em delivered, Evans," Sirius said.

"Except you, Sirius, you'll be in your flat and I don't know where that is—"

"I was going to ask if I could shack up with you, tonight, Prongsie," Sirius said, "I…I didn't want to be alone on Christmas Eve," he finished, pouting with a great deal of jesting in his eyes.

"Sure, whatever," James said, "Just don't use me for your evening company again."

"Right-o," Sirius said, breaking out into a grin. He winked at Sam, who smiled in return.

"So we'll all be here in the morning then," Lily said, her head at rest from trying to sort everyone's schedules out.

"Excellent," Sam leaned over and kissed Lily's cheek, "Good night, all," she said, standing up and smiling before starting towards the stairs.

"Hey, Sam?" Sirius called, and Sam turned around. "Thanks for the day."

"Sure thing," Sam faltered slightly, smiled, then took the stairs to their room.

"Where did you guys go?" Lily asked, turning back to Sirius, "I woke up and she was gone."

"She was with me the whole time," Sirius said, "Sorry, though. I can imagine that it would be…upsetting to wake up with her gone," he said understandingly.

"Thanks," Lily said, her eyebrows raised slightly, "I guess I'll go to sleep, too, though. Big day, tomorrow," she added, kissing James lightly on the mouth.

"Please tell me that you aren't nervous about bloody Quidditch," James said, taking her hand.

"I'm not," Lily lied.

"You're lying," James said.

"Yeah…" Lily sighed.

"G'night, Evans," Sirius said.

"Bye Lily," Lupin said.

"Happy Christmas Eve, love," James said to her and she smiled.

"Happy Christmas Eve," she repeated.


	33. Chapter 33

**A/N:**

There is not a single excuse as to why it's taken me this long to update. Sure, I've moved countries-and back-started university-and changed-been hired by an establishment to perform a service in exchange for currency...but honestly, none of those are good enough to qualify.

If anyone. Anyone. Is still reading this, I love you. Simply put, I do. I have no excuses because my actions are inexcusable. I am constantly humbled by the support of _you_. You are lovely. I am not. Forgive me-or don't. But either way, read the chapter. Tell me what you think. I swear on every gosh darned incarnation of the One Ring that I will update _soon._

Hey look- a Christmas chapter on/near Christmas! How nifty!

Love always,

Fae

Last Time on _Lily and James: The Last Shot (_Thanks to x Shut Up An for suggesting that I probably should do this...)

"I'm going to Bulgaria, to spend some time with my boyfriend and his family. His brother and his wife are expecting a baby soon…and yes. I'll be safe."

"Very well," Dumbledore said contentedly."If that's all then," Dumbledore prompted, "I will wish you a very happy Christmas and a safe journey. I look forward to your updates."

"Thank you sir," Sam said and Dumbledore turned to go, "Oh!" she remembered suddenly, "I have a Christmas present for you, sir." She handed him a small wrapped package. Inside were three pairs of wool socks.

"Thank you, Miss Tchaikovsky. A happy Christmas to you," Dumbledore smiled.

"Happy Christmas," Sam said, and Dumbledore Disapparated.

_"Right, um. So. I had the thought that maybe we could have tomorrow's dinner at my flat," Sirius said, and Sam stared. "Everyone," Sirius clarified, "I thought that _we_—as in _everyone_—could have dinner at my flat."

"I knew what you meant," Sam said defensively as he eyed her, but she felt her hopes sink a bit—not that she was sure why her hopes had been up at all.

"Right. Well, I only brought it up because we've all been so bored with this place," Sirius jerked his head to demonstrate the Cauldron, "And I'd like it to be a nice dinner. It's Christmas…and I just want it to be a nice holiday. You know…all of us are away from our families and even at my house Christmas involved family. Terrible people, but family. And we might not have our…_biological_ families, but I think that we're sort of a…_group…_that's….together…"

Sam was experiencing a swelling feeling in her throat, "I think it's beautiful, Sirius," she nodded, "I'd love to help."

It was a strange sensation, to see Lily Evans standing in his childhood home. He had lived here, in Godric's Hollow with his parents all of his life. He was an only child, but the Marauders had constantly spent summers with his family; Sirius had moved in a year and a half ago for a semi-permanent stay.

When he was eleven and twelve, just having met Lily Evans, James had had this strange fantasy of Lily being his best friend and coming over to his house to play. Of course, their previous relationship had prevented that fantasy from becoming reality, and it was a strange sort of mental jump as he looked at Lily, finally in his home, there to have lunch with her future in-laws.

_"Are you okay?" Sirius asked evenly, looking into her eyes. "You fell asleep and started screaming."

"No. No. I just had a dream. There are Death Eaters, six of them, they're going to burn St. Mary's Hospital. They're going to kill people," she said, grabbing his arms.

"Are you sure?" Sirius asked and she nodded, "then we have to save them."

He let her up and they both retrieved their wands.

"_Expecto patronum,"_ Sam said and her silver hedgehog manifested in Sirius' flat. In a second, it was joined by an enormous silver dog. "Go and gather everyone. Quickly. They must go to the Leaky Cauldron," she instructed the hedgehog, and it was gone in an instant.

"Help," said Sirius, and the dog was gone.

_"Miss Tchaikovsky, what is it?" Dumbledore asked as she approached.

"The hospital, sir, I've only just seen it. It's St. Mary's Hospital. There are six Death Eaters around the corner. They're going to burn it down, sir."

_"The Malfoy_s_?" Sirius repeated, emphasizing the plural nature of her statement. Alice nodded.

"Dumbledore saw it. The rings I mean. Narcissa married Malfoy," she informed them.

"That's disgusting," said Lupin.

"They aren't the only ones," Sam said, frowning, "I ran into Bellatrix downstairs. She was identified as 'Lestrange.'"

"No," Alice said, looking sick. She nodded. "Bellatrix and Rodolphus?"

"What sort of name is that-?" Sirius began, but Sam cut him off with a look.

"It isn't funny, Sirius," she said, "They're going to start _reproducing_."

"First off, that's nauseating; please take back your sick image," said Sirius, "Secondly, maybe we should start heading them off. Alice, you and Frank are married. Any kiddies on the way out?"

Alice began blushing harder than Sam could have imagined possible.

"Sirius," she rebuked him, choosing to kick his shin in favor of using her blistered hands.

"What? It's true. And we have Lily and James to get going here in the spring. Hell, they can start now, I won't count the months after it's born."

"Johnny," she announced her approach and Lynch turned round.

"Samantha," he said, recognising her, approaching her and embracing her breifly.

"Hello," she said, hating the plain awkward nature of the word as she stepped back nearer Sirius.

"Hello," he returned, "'Evening, Sirius," he said, shaking Sirius' hand.

"Hey, Johnny," Sirius returned civilly, smiling slightly.

"Sirius saw you," Sam attempted to explain herself, but there was really no way to do so.

"Sam wanted to say happy Christmas," Sirius prompted her again.

"Happy Christmas," said Johnny, smiling at her.

"Happy Christmas," she responded, unsure of why she was unable to raise her voice above the volume of a mumble.

"What are you two doing here, at a hospital, on Christmas Eve?" Johnny asked, shoving his hands in his pockets.

"Working," Sam said with a terrible vagueness, stealing a sidelong glance at Sirius, who nodded. Lynch was wonderful enough not to question her explanation. "What about you?"

"Visiting my dad," said Johnny.

"Lynch asked if we wanted to go play a pick-up game of Quidditch tomorrow," Sirius said.

"On Christmas?" Lily asked.

"That would be tomorrow," Sam said dryly.

"We don't really have anything else planned," James said.

"Does Voldemort take the day off for Christmas?" Lupin asked. Sirius smirked.

"Busy opening his presents, I'd reckon," James added.

"And then there's pudding to be eaten—" Sirius commented and everyone laughed.

"Can he digest things like a normal person? I mean, all that evil…" Sam asked. Sirius grinned. "But what do you reckon, Lils? Sound like fun?"

"I'm sure it would be for you lot—Quidditch players."

"We all learned to fly first year," Lupin countered, "And I didn't play on the team, but I'd be up for it."

"You've been outvoted," Sam said. Lily turned to James, who shrugged.

"Hey, Sam?" Sirius called, and Sam turned around. "Thanks for the day."

"Sure thing," Sam faltered slightly, smiled, then took the stairs to their room.

"Where did you guys go?" Lily asked, turning back to Sirius, "I woke up and she was gone."

"She was with me the whole time," Sirius said, "Sorry, though. I can imagine that it would be…upsetting to wake up with her gone," he said understandingly.

**Happy Christmas**

Lily's eyes did not flutter upon her wakening. Instead they snapped open and she sat straight up in bed, a well-practised habit on Christmas morning. Although the presents from Father Christmas were conspicuously absent from the foot of her bed, she had to admit that she had a very fair haul.

A large pile of wrapped gifts glittered in the icy sunlight that was sifting through the window panes.

"Sam!" she grabbed a pillow and threw it at Sam's head. It was a perfect throw and smacked Sam in the face. Sam sat bolt upright, looking around, and Lily couldn't help but feel as though, if this was her aim, that Quidditch might not be so bad. "Happy Christmas!"

"'Morning, Lils," Sam said, yawning and running her hand through her hair. Her brown eyes wandered down to the foot of her bed, where a pile of presents was placed. She reached down and picked a small box. She tossed it thoughtfully in her hands, "Are you ever disturbed by the thought of the presents being delivered while you sleep?"

"No," responded Lily immediately, throwing back the blankets and swinging her feet around to the floor and standing up. Her creamy waffled night shirt fell down to its full length, a few inches above her knees. She crossed the floorboards on her tip-toes and opened the door to the bathroom. She grabbed the brush and ran it through her hair, splashed some water over her face, and brushed her teeth. Sam stole the hair brush and brushed back her fringe.

"Lily, hand me a bobby pin, would you?" she requested. Lily replaced her toothbrush on the counter and handed Sam two bobby pins, which she fixed between her teeth as she brushed her fringe back. In a matter of a minute, she had deftly braided the fringe into a brain across her hairline, and fixed the ends with the pins.

"There's the Sam I know," Lily smiled at her.

"Yeah, yeah," Sam replied, looking only slightly miffed in the festive red plaid flannel shirt that she had slept in.

"Whose shirt is that?" Lily asked.

"Mine," Sam responded, looking shocked at the question, "Whose else would it be?"

"I dunno," said Lily, "I thought maybe Dmitri's."

"Right. Hem. Well. It isn't. I wear my own shirts."

"Good to know," said Lily, wishing she hadn't said anything. Sam cleared her throat again and smiled.

"You know what, Lils, go get Sirius and James and Remus and have them bring their presents. We can all open them together."

"Alright," Lily said, checking her watch. "It's still pretty early."

"It's Christmas," Sam countered, "They can handle it. Or take a nap later."

"What for?" Lily asked now, wondering what Sam had in mind. Her eyes were glowing brightly, if not a bit fiercely, but there was still something beneath them…something that looked like sorrow.

"Just go, Lils," Sam prodded her along.

"Okay," Lily acquiesced, still wishing to know Sam's plan. Nevertheless, she opened the door, looked down the hall both ways, and decided it was safe to step out. She felt the old glow of Christmas briefly in the pit of her stomach as she hurried down the hall in only her nightgown. It felt like she was back in her home with Petunia—who would have still been in their shared bedroom, hissing at her to come back—tiptoeing down the stairs to peek around the banister for a glimpse of the Christmas tree. She would come back immediately, with that single, fleeting image burned in her mind of the Christmas tree with its ornaments, electric lights, tinsel, candy canes and golden star, surrounded by packages of every imaginable shape and size.

She had reached the door with the bronzed number twenty on it. She raised her fist and knocked soundly on the wood twice. Instantly, there was the sound of mumbling and waking-up on the inside. Lily shifted nervously from foot to foot, desperately not wanting to be found by someone other than her friends. Almost a minute had gone by when there was a click at the door and a "come in" from the inside.

Lily twisted the knob, opened the door the minimal amount, and slipped inside the room.

It was messy, but not exceptionally so, with the boys' clothes from last night littering the ground, a book turned on its pages, and a pair of scissors on the floor. The only other thing on the floor was Sirius Black, who was sleeping with a large, downy red sleeping bag as there were only two beds in the room.

"Happy Christmas," Lily said in way of greeting. She turned to the window, where one of Sirius' sweaters had been hung as a make-shift curtain, and pulled it down.

"Jesus, Evans," Sirius groaned as the pale morning light hit his face.

"Happy Christmas, Lily," said Remus, who was up already, fully dressed in a set of pajamas, pulling on a pair of socks. James was sitting up in bed, rubbing his eyes before reaching for his glasses. Sirius was lying down on top of the blankets, wearing only a pair of black flannel pants.

"Good morning, Remus," she returned with a smile, sitting down in the only chair in the room.

"Evans, why are you here?" Sirius asked, still holding his eyes shut. James threw a tee shirt at him. It hit his face and Lily was reminded of her throwing the pillow at Sam not too long ago.

"Why _are_ you here?" James asked more kindly, slipping his arms through the sleeves of a thermal shirt and gathering up the rest of the shirt in his fists. Lily's eyes dipped below his face for a moment, admiring briefly her fiancée's muscular frame. Armed with his glasses, James saw this and grinned, "And dressed in your night clothes no less," he added, slipping the shirt over his head and standing up.

"Sam and I wanted everyone to take their presents and come over to our room to open them," Lily explained, smiling at James.

"Presents?" Sirius sat up suddenly, looking down to the foot of his bed. He appraised the pile, "I did well this year," he said, nodding appreciatively.

"Sure, we'll come down," James agreed, "Just give us ten minutes, alright?"

"Lovely," Lily said, taking the hand he extended and standing up again. He kissed her lips briefly then kissed her ear left ear lobe. The sensation sent shivers up her spine.

"And Evans gets her present early," Sirius laughed as he stood up, still defiantly shirtless.

"You're a git," Lupin said, passing by on the way to the bathroom.

"Just saying," Sirius said.

"Man, put your shirt on," James said, his arm around Lily's waist.

"No you should come over to the room just like that," Lily grinned, "Sam would—" she broke off, realizing just what she was insinuating.

"Yeah?" Sirius asked, flexing every muscle on his torso. It was strange; Sirius was so blatantly gorgeous in every aspect—his body was no different—yet Lily felt no attraction when she looked at him. Her body was right up against James' and she could feel the muscles that she had seen earlier and the feeling alone was making half of her brain go fuzzy.

"Forget I said anything," Lily said, her hand trailing down to James' stomach before releasing him and moving towards the door.

"He won't," James assured her, "and now you've risked him refusing to wear a shirt all day."

"I'll see you lot in a bit," Lily said, "and don't forget to bring your presents."

"'K—" James started, but if he said something else, her closing the door disallowed her from hearing it. She rushed back down the hall the way she came. Luckily, Sam had disregarded the locking of the door, and Lily entered quickly.

The inside of the room had changed almost entirely. The beds were made to perfection, the pillows placed in the precise centre, the blankets pulled incredibly taut, and the hangings pulled back the same amount on all eight posts. There were candles floating around the ceiling, a large glass jar in the middle of the floor that contained a great ball of fire that was emanating a warmth that the room had been missing. One of the end tables had been pulled out, and a pot of cocoa and a bowl of eggnog had been placed on top of it.

But the crowning glory of the room was the Christmas tree that had been erected on the far side, in front of the blank wall. It reached to the ceiling, with sprawling green branches that filled the air with the impeccable scent of evergreen. Red and gold glass ornaments of varying sizes graced the branches, as did a healthy dosage of icicles. A star sat atop the tallest branch, brushing the ceiling.

"Sam?" Lily called, and Sam stepped out of the bathroom.

"Yup?"

Lily crossed the room and hugged her tightly.

"Thank you," Lily murmured, feeling tears sting her eyes for no apparent reason other than happiness. She held Sam a moment longer than stepped back, holding her at arm's length. "This is lovely."

"You're welcome," Sam returned, looking slightly flustered. Lily could see her eyes were tinged slightly with red as well. "Are the Marauders coming?"

It felt very strange to hear the boys referred to as the Marauders—it had been a long while since Lily had considered them to be separate from herself or Sam.

"Yeah," she said, still studying Sam's face. There was something off, but she knew she couldn't place it. "Is there something wrong?" she asked finally.

"Not at all," Sam smiled.

"Alright," Lily agreed, looking back at the room. She finally let go of Sam's arms but held her hand still, "This…this was really sweet of you to do."

"I…I wanted to have a proper Christmas with you lot," Sam seemed to be fighting to keep her voice even, "I love you all so very much—"

"You might want to save it for when everyone gets here," Lily cracked a smile.

"No, I wouldn't be saying this to them, so you can just tell them," Sam smiled a little bit as well, "You know I wouldn't be saying this to them."

"True," Lily nodded, "Anything else?"

"No," said Sam, "that's it."

"Right, well, I know I interrupted something," Lily observed, but allowed the conversation to pass, "but I won't force it out of you."

"Thanks, Lily dearest," Sam smiled.

"You've been working on some serious transfiguration and charms," Lily remarked.

"After my accident, all that extra work with McGonagall and Flitwick led to some serious studying—and I picked up a few extra spells," Sam shrugged. "You like it?"

"Absolutely," said Lily, "I know the boys will, too."

"Hopefully," said Sam.

"Oh, if Sirius doesn't wear a shirt, don't be surprised," Lily thought to remark.

"I wouldn't be, although I am slightly concerned about the process through which such a topic would arise," Sam commented, sitting down on one of the beds.

"Never mind," Lily said. There was a knock on the door, and she looked at Sam, "thank you again."

She smiled and Lily opened the door.

"Hello—wow," James started as he looked around the room. He stepped inside, followed by Remus and finally Sirius, who was toting a large red bag, trimmed with white fur, stuffed with what Lily presumed were their presents.

"Father Christmas," Sam hailed Sirius, who did indeed have a shirt, "Lily hinted you may have abandoned your shirt."

"Would you like me to?" Sirius asked, tossing the bag to the floor, "Bloody hell, this looks nice."

Lily saw Sam break a tiny smile.

"Nice spell casting, Sam," Remus observed, sitting down next to her.

"Thanks," Sam grinned.

"How'd you know it wasn't me?" Lily demanded.

"Lily, I've been in classes with you and Sam for seven years—I know how each of you cast spells. You have a bit more focused on the overall appearance of the transfiguration. Sam focuses on tiny little details. Your candles would have given off a more golden light, whereas Sam's all have flames that flicker in time."

"Quite observant," James said, hugging Lily, still looking around the room, "This really is nice, though, so thank you for having us over."

"Happy Christmas," Sam said. "Now, Santa darling, do you have any more room for our presents in that bag of yours?"

"You have hands, you can check yourself," Sirius said, collapsing on the bed on the other side of Sam. Sam turned to Lupin for explanation of his behaviour. Lupin shrugged.

"I think he's upset because he had to get up early."

"Shut up, Moony," Sirius snapped.

"You can sleep when you're dead," Sam quipped, "right now is Christmas and you are alive and you will be awake and open presents."

"Brilliant," said Lily, "we'll pile them all into the bag and we can pick them out one at a time. That way we can all watch each person open their present!"

"Yay!" Sirius said insolently. Sam was already piling the rest of the presents into the bag, which was constantly expanding to keep pace with the volume. When all of the gifts had been added, she shook the bag around to mix them up.

"What if there was something breakable?" Lupin asked, looking amused. Sam blushed, clearly not having thought so far.

"I'll fix it," she mumbled, sitting down on the bed again.

"Do you want a drink, Lily?" James asked, scooping some eggnog out of the punch bowl.

"I'll have some eggnog," Sirius spoke up.

"You have two hands," Sam mimicked, and Sirius pushed her half-heartedly before smiling.

"I'll have a cocoa, please," Lily asked, and James poured a mug that he handed to her. Lily sat down on the bed, crossing her legs and blowing the steam on her cocoa. James sat down next to her. Lupin stood up and took some cocoa, offering Sam the same, which she accepted.

"Really?" Sirius whined when they were all seated with their drinks.

"Really," Sam confirmed. Sirius sighed, pushed himself up and fetched himself an eggnog.

"Wonderful," Lily said, leaning over the side of the bed and opening the bag, "before we start, I'd like to propose a toast to a lovely Christmas."

"Aye," James agreed, raising his own glass.

"Happy Christmas," Lupin assented with a tired smile.

"Hear hear," Sirius intoned.

"Best holiday ever," Sam said. After a moment of holding their mugs aloft, they all took a drink. James reached into the bag and pulled out a green box. He spun it to find the tag.

"This is to 'Remus' from 'mum and dad," James tossed the box to Lupin, who caught it and ripped the wrapping off. Sirius peered over his shoulder.

"It's a pocket watch," Remus said, holding up a heavy silver pocket watch.

"Hah," Sirius gave a short bark of a laughter, "Prongs, it's got etchings of the moon on it."

Lupin gave a wry smile and set the watch aside. He lifted his wand and summoned the next gift towards him.

"This one's to 'Lily' from 'James,'" he said, throwing the medium-sized box to Lily. She caught it.

"You didn't have to—" she began, smiling at James.

"Oh _please_," Sam emphasized. Lily shut up and opened the gift. Beneath a layer of tissue was a beautiful grey dress. Lily pulled it from the box by the silk and chiffon sleeves. The box fell onto the floor and the skirt fell out so that she was holding it at its full length.

Its length was to what Lily assumed would be her knees. It was made of a bluish grey silk, with layers of chiffon ruffles consuming the skirt. The top was made only of silk with delicate beading at the top, and ruffles on the tank top sleeves. The neckline was a rather deep V. It was, in short, gorgeous.

"I picked it out myself," James said, and Lily realised that she had been completely quiet while cataloguing every gorgeous stitch of the dress. He was worried that she didn't like it. It was laughable.

"James, sweetheart, it's absolutely _stunning."_

"Yeah?" James smiled as she leaned in and kissed him soundly.

"Yeah," Lily said, "you picked it out?"

"That's beautiful, James," Sam nodded.

"Well done Prongsie," said Sirius as Lily took one more kiss from James.

"Alright, Lils, your turn," Sam said. Lily picked another box.

"'To: Sirius Black,' 'From: Samantha,'" Lily threw the box to Sirius. It hit him pretty hard in the chest before falling into his lap.

"Easy there, Lily, save it for the pitch," Remus laughed.

"Pretty small box," James said, and Sam threw him a look. James grinned. Sam winked.

"You really wrote 'Black' on there," Sirius observed, looking at the tag "Don't you think that was a bit unnecessary?"

"No," Sam said defensively, "Lots of other Siriuses out there to get mixed up. Wouldn't want this falling into the wrong hands."

"Really?" Sirius sounded interested now, and ripped through the packaging with zeal, "That was very pretty wrapping, by the way," he added, and Sam smiled. He opened the box and removed a heavy golden penknife. "Wicked," he said, weighing it in his hand. Sirius turned it to look at the other side.

"It opens any lock, any bolt, no matter how it was locked, magically or not," Sam explained.

"Let's see, Padfoot," James said, and Sirius tossed him the penknife. Lily took a closer look as James examined it. There was a very small etching of the Gryffindor lion and, beneath this, the initials S. A. B. engraved below it. James laughed and threw it back.

"That's brilliant," Lupin said, looking at it, "Have you seen the—"

"How'd you know my middle name?" Sirius asked, looking distressed as he ran his finger over the engravings.

"Wasn't me," Remus said immediately.

"_Prongs_," Sirius rounded on him.

"Sorry, mate, it was for a friend," James said. "And besides it isn't so bad—"

"Sirius. Archibald. Black," Sam said soundly, grinning from ear-to-ear after she had finished, "_I_ think it has a sort of ring to it."

Sirius smiled, "Thanks," he paused, "You know, this is indestructible proof that a Black was in Gryffindor," he said. He laughed then, "My mum would absolutely hate you," he said with pride. He leaned over and kissed Sam's cheek. She blushed.

"Your turn to pick a gift," Sam said pointedly and Sirius summoned a gift, "For: Lily From: Petunia and Vernon," Sirius flipped the long, narrow box wrapped in brown paper to Lily.

"Oh dear," Lily said, carefully unwrapping the thing in one long, thin strip. She pulled a half-used ball of yarn from the box. It was a horrid yellowish brown color and much of it was consumed with a large knot. There was a single card on the inside, a white piece of paper folded over once, with the words 'happy Christmas' scrawled in pencil.

"Lovely," Sam said. Lily sighed.

"I wasn't expecting much," she said as James wrapped his arm around her and pulled her into him. He rubbed her shoulder and kissed the top of her head. Lily felt something quite like distress in her heart, but she pushed it away, feeling instead the warmth that was enveloping her.

"It isn't the worst present, Lily," Sirius said kindly, "they could have sent you a toothpick."

"Don't be ridiculous, Sirius," Sam admonished him, "what sort of people would gift a toothpick?"

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

"This one says 'to Pumpkin Bum,'" James said, looking bemusedly around at the group.

"Bloody hell," Sam said, "No bloody way."

"Shall I assume that it's yours?" James asked, and she wrinkled her nose, catching the box that James threw.

"It doesn't say who it's from?" Lily asked.

"It doesn't need to," James said and Remus nodded with a grin.

"That's quite the endearing nickname, Sirius," Lily commented, catching on. Sam attempted to close out their banter, her ears still roaring slightly from the embarrassment of having 'Pumpkin Bum' being written out. She carefully peeled off the tape on each side of the gift, smiling inwardly at the thought of Sirius wrapping the box.

"Yeah," Sam said dismally.

"It's not a _bad _thing," Sirius said, sitting up when he saw her frown, "You have a very nice—"

The look she threw him must have done its job, for he fell silent, though his eyes were smiling faintly.

"Lovely wrapping job," she thought to comment, and Sirius grinned. She pulled the paper off and was left with a black box of medium size. The contents were shielded by a sheet of tissue, and she pulled it away.

Inside the box was a white leather jacket. It was very pretty, and she ran her hand over the leather—it was exceptionally high quality. There were four pockets—two up high, just under the wide collar, and two at the typical position. The waist of the jacket was dropped, and the sleeves were cuffed.

"Thank you," she said, looking over at Sirius, who was smiling happily.

"You like it?"

"_Yes_," she nodded for added emphasis.

"Good," Sirius said simply. She leaned over and kissed him very briefly on the cheek.

"Sam? You wanna pick something?" Lily asked, and Sam summoned the next present. The sack was very, well, empty, but it had shrunk so that it looked as though it were stuffed full. The next box was very large, and she caught it.

"Who's it for?" James asked, sucking on the candy cane that he had stolen off of the tree.

"Me," she read the tag, "It says 'Samantha Tchaikovsky.'"

"That's cheating," Remus pointed at her, looking constantly amused.

"Well who's it from?" Sirius asked, reaching under her arm, taking hold of the tag and reading it, "Oh. Of bloody course," Sirius threw the tag and fell back onto the bed, bearing exceptional resemblance to a five year old. "_Jonathan_."

Sam couldn't keep the grin off of her face.

"Fine, but if you pick another gift for yourself, you're skipping your next turn," Lupin said, summoning a candy cane from the tree.

"You'd be hard-pressed, Sam," James said, "It's empty," he turned the bag upside-down to prove his point.

"Didn't you lot get anything for each other?" Lily asked, observing the lack of gifts, "Famous Marauder generosity and the like?"

"We already gave them," Sirius scoffed, as though the idea was completely ludicrous.

"Right. Because you lot are so secretive about everything," Lily scoffed back.

"What about gifts between you two?" Remus asked, pointing at Lily and Sam with the sharpened end of his candy cane.

"Oh, later," Sam said vaguely, "Now may I open my present, _please?_"

"Go ahead," Lupin said grandly.

Sam undid the striped paper and was left with a jewelry box. It was beautiful, the mahogany wood inlaid with gilded woodwork design so intricate that she had to hold it closer just to see the details. She turned the box round and saw that it depicted scenes from the fairy tale Cinderella. The scene on the lid was the largest and most intricate, portraying the prince fitting Cinderella's foot into her lost slipper. She opened the lid to reveal a note and a pair of fire opal earrings.

She picked up the note and read:

_Samantha, _

_This reminded me of you; You struck me as someone who needed a place to store their secrets—and whatever else. I reckon this was supposed to be a jewelry box. I thought it was pretty on the outside, but if you open it up, it has a false bottom so you can hide whatever you like. Hope you fancy it. Happy Christmas._

_Jonathan Lynch_

Her jaw dropped slightly as she appraised the jewelry, each earring made of six tear shaped, orange fire opals, all forming a larger flame. The opals were connected by silver stems, all culminating in the silver post that formed the earring.

"Well let's see," Lily said, sounding impatient. Sam turned the jewelry box towards her and Lily's jaw dropped as well, "Bloody hell, Sam."

"I know," Sam said quietly, turning the box back to herself so that she could stare at the earrings some more. They were the most beautiful thing she had ever had to call her own.

"Well? Put them on!" Lily exclaimed, smiling broadly.

"Okay," Sam acquiesced, unfixing the backs of the earrings and fixing them onto her ears, "What do you think?" She asked, holding up her hair.

"Ooh!" Lily squealed, clasping her hands together and smiling. Remus was grinning and shaking his head and even James cracked a smile.

"What?" Sam asked, as Remus continued to shake his head in response to some un-posed question.

"It's just that he's so obviously besotted by you."

"_Besotted?_" Sam repeated with a nervous laugh, although something in the region of her stomach was doing a set of rather pleasant flip-flops, "He's not-"

"Please," Sirius cut her off, the word a rather sharp blade, "Please spare us the 'Oh! He doesn't like me. That's so silly! He he he!'" He put on this ridiculously high voice and irritating lisp for the last part so that Sam fairly considered punching him.

"Fine," she snapped, feeling the typical side effects of an argument with Sirius. Everyone else turned hazy and there was only him. Her tunnel vision zeroed in on his eyes, and she focused on the stormy grey. "Fine. I won't. I don't know about besotted, but he obviously likes me. He obviously thinks about me, what I might like, and he has a sodding lot more insight into my feelings than a majority of people. He's fantastic. He's just a little mistaken. Because what I really like is him. So he really didn't have to get me anything at all!"

Sirius' eyes. which had first looked slightly confused at this new tactic, now took on a look of pained anger.

"Well then, he could have saved a hell of a lot of money just showing up here in his skivvies with a bloody red bow on his head, isn't that right?"

"Maybe it is," Sam's eyes narrowed. Then, realising what she had just said, looked down at the floor.

"Well, it's nice to have that out in the open, isn't it?" James broke in with a nervous laugh, earning him two nasty looks from the opposite side of the room.

"You know what?" Lily asked suddenly, looking at her watch, "It's nearly time for the pick-up game, yeah? So let's you men go back to your room and get ready. We're just about done with presents anyway."

"Yes. Excellent point, Lils," Sam said, standing and stalking towards the door, "We shall see you later," she offered, placing her hand on the knob. Sirius stood up, too, still looking goaded. He crossed the room as well, standing a bit away from her.

"Prongs? Moony? Shall we?" He asked.

"I suppose we shall-" James started. He broke off, looking up at the ceiling above Sam and Sirius with a peculiar expression.

Lily followed his gaze and stifled a laugh.

"What?" Sam and Sirius demanded at the same time, looking between their friends angrily.

"Look," Remus prompted, looking pleased at something. Sam turned her eyes upward. A small bunch of mistletoe was hanging less than a foot above their heads, suspended in the air, turning slowly, it's glossy green leaves and red berries shining in the candlelight.

"Bloody hell," Sirius muttered, staring at the mistletoe with daggers. Sam was actually quite surprised that it didn't wither away beneath his expression.

Something flip-flopped again, and it still wasn't entirely unpleasant. She stared at his upturned face, studying his jaw, his cheeks, and the shadow that had taken residence in between.

"What-" Sirius demanded, finally looking away from the abhorrent greenery and catching her gaze. She stood up deftly on her tip-toes and kissed his lips very lightly.

"The Ancient and Most Honorable Laws of Mistletoe have been abided by," she announced grandly, trying to beat back the swoon that was hovering about her person. She twisted the handle and yanked open the door.

James and Remus stood and filed out. Sirius just stood and stared at her with a flummoxed expression. James returned after a moment, grabbed the back of Sirius' shirt and pulled him out into the hall. Sam caught his eye and attempted a small smile. Unsure of whether or not she had succeeded, she closed the door.

"Ancient and Most Honorable Laws of Mistletoe my..." Lily trailed off as she turned away and set to getting dressed.

"Yes," Sam emphasized, "I'll find you a copy one day."

"I'd like that," Lily said, "Maybe you can give Sirius a copy. He looked a little unfamiliar with them-"

She squealed and ducked under the pillow that Sam threw at her.

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It was not the most comfortable group that walked into the Irish National Stadium that Christmas morning. James looked round at the motley crew assembled at the gate of the Stadium. It was five until ten, and the Stadium looked quite sadly closed.

"They'll be here," Lily promised for the sixth time. Sam threw her a look for the seventh time, "They'll be here," she repeated.

"Remind me, Evans, why we had to be here, early?" Sirius asked, looking rather disgruntled. James rightly reckoned that they were all comparatively nervous to play Quidditch on the field as it was, let alone with the top Quidditch team in the world.

"I forget," Lily grumbled, blushing in addition to her cold-reddened cheeks.

"Yeah," Sirius rolled his eyes, but there was no actual anger behind his words. Nevertheless, a slight protective haze came over James, and he reached down inconspicuously and scraped a pile of snow into his palm, packing it together with care-and hurling it at Sirius. The snow smacked the back of his head and exploded. Sirius turned around very slowly with a wicked grin on his face.

"Prongsie...whatcha doin'?" Sirius asked, wiping the back of his head with a gloved hand.

"Sorry, Padfoot, you know how it-" James was cut off by a particularly slushy snowball that struck his chest with a large amount of force.

"What's that, Potter?" Sam asked, holding a second snowball in her palm.

"Oh it's on, Tchaikovsky," James said, feeling a smile coming over his own mouth. There was something juvenile and fierce and fantastic about throwing snow at one another...defending each other in the most primeval method possible without sticks or stones.

"Bring it-" Sam began, but she, too, was cut off by a projectile of ice.

"Down!" Sirius shouted, and Sam hit the ground without reserve. Lily's snowball sailed over her head. The teams of this snowball fight were quite suddenly clear. Consequentially, Remus took a few deliberate steps back, removing himself from the melee.

"Get back, get back!" Sam called, she and Sirius moving backwards towards the fence, scooping up snow and piling the newly-formed balls in their arms. James grabbed Lily and dragged her back behind a snow drift.

"Alright," Lily gasped, sitting down in the snow, "Now what?"

"I'm not sure," James said, "Sirius typically has a straight forward methodology to his strategies."

"You're forgetting Sam," Lily said, just as three magically-propelled snowballs fell on their heads.

"No magic!" James shouted, taking cover from five more snow balls.

"Fine!" Sirius yelled, and James heard him reassessing their strategy in a poorly-controlled whisper.

"Alright," James said aloud, "We're going to deploy from both sides of this thing and come at them from two angles. Take as many snowballs with you as you can," he added, beginning to pack snowballs as quickly as he could. In a minute, they had amassed an impressive pile. James began scooping them into his arms and started around the left corner of their blockade. He was immediately met by a snowball that missed his nose by millimeters. He drew back.

"What?" Lily demanded.

"Someone's got us covered pretty well. I'm sure it's Sirius. Sam has a counter-clockwise spin to her throws. I don't think she even realizes it. " Lily gave him a look, "I was her coach," James emphasized. Lily still looked slightly concerned...amazed...James wasn't sure what to call the expression that was painting her pretty face.

"So you could name every one of your players' throws?"

"Yeah," James thought about it, then nodded, "It's just part of being the coach. I was just around them so much... and you know, as their coach, I should know everything about their game."

Lily started smiling and shaking her head slowly, "James..."

She put a gloved hand up to his face and ran it slowly down the length of his cheek, stopping to cup his jaw. She steered his face towards her own and kissed him tenderly. Her lips were warm on his own. James felt himself slipping away from the icy reality and into the warmth of Lily Evans' presence...

"And thus the mighty empire of Rome was felled by Caesar and his single weakness," said a voice far away from the warm world. Lily's lips retreated from his own, and the ice and snow and bright sun of the Christmas morning returned. Sam stood above them, snowball in hand, Sirius by her side.

"Very nice allusion, Tchaikovsky," Sirius nodded approvingly. Lily sighed and rolled off of James, sitting up and rubbing her mouth. James propped himself up and raised his hands.

"We surrender," he said.

"We know," Sam replied. Sirius shook his head.

"That was much too easy, Prongsie. I'm disappointed."

"I am, too," Sam said consolingly, "Here, we were taking the snowball fight seriously and you two just disregarded it as some sort of childish endeavor," she sniffed.

"Oh no, I'm not disappointed that Prongs and Evans were snogging behind their cover," Sirius countered. "I'm disappointed that we weren't doing the same." Moving swiftly, Sirius leaned forward, slipped his arm around Sam's back, pulled her close-and kissed her lips with the utmost chastity.

"Black!" Sam shouted, shoving Sirius back. He was caught off balance and fell back into a snow drift with a large puff of white ice crystals, and James was the victim of a heavy case of déjà vu. Sam huffed loudly, and stamped her foot in sheer frustration.

"Did you just stamp your foot? Did you really just do that?" Sirius' voice came from the snowdrift, "_That's_ mature, Sam. Really bloody mature. You look like you're three years old and had someone steal your lollipop-"

Sam let out a strangled cry of irritation and launched herself onto the snow drift, tackling a barely-upright Sirius back into the snow.

"They're so cute at that age," James said, putting his arm around Lily. She leaned her head down onto his shoulder. James took her gloved hand in his own and Lily sighed as Sam began throwing handfuls of snow into Sirius face, punching him intermittently.

"Do you like being on top, Tchaikovsky!?" Sirius managed to shout as he attempted to block Sam's fists, twisting his head away from the snow that was being thrown into his face.

"You-sodding-piece-of-bloody-sod-faced-sod," Sam yelled back, just punching him now with renewed force.

"What? At age twelve?" Lily proposed, fondly.

"Yeah, I reckon that's near about right," James agreed.

"I'll take that as a yes," Sirius returned, brazenly, grabbing both of her fists and holding them tight.

"You-will-never-bloody-know-"

"For Merlin's sake, woman, _stop_ hitting me!" Sirius' quite suddenly grabbed Sam from behind in a scissor hold and flipped her off of him and into the snow beside him. He pinned her arms to the ground and sat on top of her stomach, rendering her legs also ineffective.

"That's almost unfair," Lily said in conversational tone as Remus shouted.

"Padfoot, let her up!"

"Apologize, please," Sirius said, continuing to hold her down. Sam was struggling but gave up after a few seconds, just huffing in an effort to regain her breath. "Just say you're sorry and that you liked it."

"Liked what?" Sam demanded, "Punching you? Yes, I'll admit it. I loved it."

"No, being on top-of me," he clarified, grinning at her. Sam's face turned from red to white in a matter of seconds as she glared daggers.

"It's times like these when I like to remember that this whole thing started out with them defending each other," Lily observed. "That way, when it all goes to hell in a hand basket, it seems sweeter and less sexually-harassing."

"Yeah, that's nice," James agreed.

"You are a disgusting git," Sam spat.

"Padfoot, c'mon," James interjected.

"What?" Sirius asked, turning towards James, "She _tackled _me. That's pretty severe, what'd you call it, Evans? Sexual harassment? Yeah...Apology, Tchaikovsky?"

"Snowball's chance in hell, I'll apologize to you, Black," she returned, surprisingly civilly.

"Rather apropos...in that case, feel free to harass me, in any way, any time," Sirius added, infuriatingly, standing up and offering his hand to Sam, who was laying in shocked silence in the snow. She swatted his hand away and righted herself, stalking by him to stand near Remus and Peter. At that moment, there was a massive collection of Apparating noises. Those of their party who were not already, stood, and faced the new arrivals.

"Sorry we're late," Jonathan Lynch moved forward and shook everyone's hands. He hugged Sam briefly before stepping back and introducing the team. "This is Peter O'Brian and his sister, Fiona, Jacob Cunningham and his wife, Danielle, you lot know the Kyle and Colm and Kyle's wife, Ellie, Robbie Dunne, his brother-in-law, Ian McCormick, his wife Lauren and their two sons, Bobby and Will."

James knew he would never be able to remember all of those names, despite his dearest efforts, so he just smiled and said, "James Potter, merry Christmas."

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"Nice game," James landed in the snowy grass, a few yards behind Lynch, who was holding the golden snitch in his hand.

"Well done," Lynch said, sounding just slightly out of breath as he grinned and shook James' hand, "You're quite good. Were you ever going to play professionally?"

"You know, I thought about it," James admitted, as the rest of the players began to land across the field, "I just finally realized that it was another dream that I would have to fight for; and I already had one of those that was much more important," he finished, his eyes lighting on the red-haired beauty speaking with Fiona O'Brian and Ellie Sullivan.

"I see," Lynch nodded, and James knew he had followed his eyes, "It was worth it though, I assume?"

"It was," James said instantly, "I still can't believe that she's...mine," he finished hesitantly, unsure of whether or not the words really did the message justice.

"Good for you, mate," Lynch said, pocketing the snitch and clapping James on the shoulder, "I can't even imagine that feeling."

"Which?"

Lynch looked suddenly quite lost and he stuttered before beginning the next sentence, "When you...love someone...and they love you back."

James looked over at the man who anyone could have fairly supposed to have everything, and knew that he didn't have the one thing he wanted, the one, beautiful thing that James had. He caught Lily's eye across the pitch, and smiled.

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"Well done, James," Lily caught James' arm, kissing him briefly. Her legs were still slightly rubbery from being on a broom for nearly half an hour. Lily had been ecstatic when mandatory flying classes had expired during her second year at Hogwarts, and though she had passed the class with her typical 'O', she hadn't set foot around another broom since then.

"Well, I didn't _win_," James said, kissing her again, "Thanks, though. You on the other hand...I had forgotten how much I liked watching you fly."

Lily laughed: "You haven't seen me fly since we were eleven." James blushed and shrugged, "_James!"_

"What?" he replied as they approached the large group.

"What?" Sirius asked in response to James. "Crying over how we stomped you?" Sirius hi-fived Lynch and the rest of their team gave half-hearted cheers and smiles. Everyone's cheeks were flushed from the game and the exceptional cold. "You lot could have caught the snitch and still have lost."

"Yeah, well done," Lily offered, "Impeccable, um, chasing." She surveyed the opposing three chasers: Sam, Sirius, and Lauren McCormick had done incredibly well, scoring four hundred points before Lynch had caught the snitch. Though the teams had been delineated based upon past experience as to be as even as possible, Sam and Sirius worked incredibly well together. Sirius was the only chaser who hadn't played before; he hadn't even made it onto the school team, but his innate athleticism made him an excellent-and unfortunate- secret weapon. In addition to Black, Tchaikovsky, Lynch, and McCormick, the opposition was sporting Bobby and Will McCormick as the beaters (who, despite their respective ages of twelve and ten, were brilliantly talented), and Danielle Cunningham, who had clearly picked up some of her husband's skills despite her insistence that she had never played on a broom before.

Lily's team had consisted of Danielle's husband, Jacob as their Keeper, Kyle and Colm (who were quite the comical foils to Bobby and Will), James as their Seeker, and Robbie Dunne, Peter O'Brian, and herself as their Chasers. It had been a rather fierce match, despite the finally lopsided score.

"Thanks, Lily," Lauren said, bending down and straightening Will's hat and Bobby's jacket.

"A rematch will be in order," Robbie Dunne claimed, "And then we will prevail."

"Yeah, yeah," Lauren said, rolling her eyes.

"Well, we're going down to Murphy's," Ian said, picking Will up, "They have a nice little Christmas roast set up and we like to go there after the game. You lot are welcome to come."

"Thanks," Sam said, smiling, "That's kind of you to offer."

"You're coming, right?" Will asked, looking at Sam, to whom he had taken a liking. It was Sam's natural ability with small children; all kids seemed to feel as though she was their own big sister.

"Well..." Sam turned to look at Lily, who looked at James, who looked to Sirius, who looked to Peter, who looked to Remus, who nodded. "I guess so!" Sam said, smiling at Will, who cheered.

"Excellent," Ian said, smiling at his son, who struggled out of his arms and onto the grass.

"Well, let's get going," Ellie said, taking Kyle's arm and leading the way out of the stadium, followed by Colm, who was talking with Remus, Peter, Jacob and Danielle. Fiona and Peter O'Brian insisted that they had a family dinner and promptly Disapparated. Sam set off after them, and Bobby and Will took each of her hands, Sirius and Jonathan trailing behind in a rather fitting couple. Ian, Lauren, Robbie, James and Lily were the final mob to exit the stadium.

"It's no more than a five minute walk," Robbie commented.

"But it's a nice place, even for the kids," Lauren said. Lily took James' hand in hers, looking out in front at the motley crew they had been so kindly accepted into.

"It was very kind of you to invite us," Lily said, "Thank you."

""It's Christmas," Ian shrugged, "and you're nice people."

"Yes, we are," James shrugged, too, and all those in the vicinity laughed.

"So, Lauren and Ian, how did you two meet?" Lily asked, "I noticed Jonathan introduce Ian as Robbie's brother-in-law..." she grinned as Robbie gave Lauren a look.

"I never get tired of telling this story. It warns boys against having friends over to their house."

"Or having a pretty sister at their house," Ian countered.

"Oh dear," Lily looked scandalized.

"Yes. That's right," Robbie said, nodding at Lily, "Ian and I met playing triple O Quidditch in the Irish farm system."

"They were the best of friends," Lauren said fondly, "And still are."

"Well, Ian came over a couple of times for some off-the-schedule practises and he met Lauren."

"She was-is," Ian amended, kissing her hand, "the most beautiful person I had ever seen." Lauren blushed delicately, the flush highlighting her white-blonde hair and dark brown eyes. She really was beautiful, "She wasn't too fond of me at first."

"That isn't true," Lauren insisted, "he just likes to paint himself as the victim of some unfortunate circumstance. I liked him quite a lot. I just thought it wouldn't work out. I'm four years younger than he and Robbie, you see? And I didn't know how he felt about it."

"You were seventeen," Ian said, "who's painting herself as the 'victim of some unfortunate-'" he began to mock her but Lauren hit him in the shoulder and he fell to laughing.

"Well, after a while, it became apparent that Ian was coming over more than was necessary-or polite," Robbie continued the story. "So I decided I was going to have to talk to him about his philandering with my sister. But that day, he came up to me after practise and asked if he could ask Lauren out for an evening."

"He beat you to it?" James asked.

"Aye, that I did," Ian said with a laugh.

"That's very sweet," Lily said with a smile.

"It was," Lauren agreed.

"It was considerate," Robbie allowed, "Our dad died when Lauren was two and I was six. So he only had me to ask on that front."

"And he said 'Yeah, go ahead. You've been bothering her enough already,'" Ian recalled, "So I did."

"And I said yes, and two years later, he asked me to marry him."

"I asked Robbie again, then," Ian interjected.

"But what else was I going to say?" Robbie asked.

"We had Bobby two years later," Lauren said.

"And that's when all of the affirmative answers paid off," Robbie said proudly, looking up the road at Bobby and Will.

"There you go," James said with a smile.

"How about you two? How did you meet?" Lauren asked Lily and James.

"I'll let Lily tell you," James said with a crooked grin and Lily felt suddenly quite on the spot. James squeezed her hand.

"Well, we met when we were eleven," Lily said. "We went to school together and we met when James asked to sit next to me in Transfiguration. I said no."

"Aw, why?" Robbie asked.

"I asked myself that for the next six years," James said sadly.

"Because the seat was already taken!" Lily defended herself. "And we-er-got to know each other over the next six years."

"It took six _years_?" Lauren clarified, eyebrows raised, "What changed?"

"You know, I always wanted to hear this for myself," James said, looking interested. Lily blushed.

"Well...well he was always infuriating. But one day I just sort of noticed how well, attractive he was. Infuriatingly so. Because it's quite difficult to dislike someone when you're continually distracted by their appearance. And then, one day, we were doing rounds, and he asked me what I wanted to be when we left school."

James smiled sideways, clearly remembering

"What did you say?" Ian prompted.

"I said I wanted to be an Auror. And James told me that I couldn't. Because it was dangerous. And that...well, I knew...then."

"Aw," Lauren beamed, "And here we are!"

They were standing before the facade of a pub. Jonathan was holding the door open, waiting for the rest of the party. Sam was standing just inside, obviously waiting for Jonathan, while Bobby and Will still held her each of her hands.

"Moony got a table," Sirius said as the others finally entered. Indeed, at the back of the pub, a large mass of tables had been pulled together to make room for their party of eighteen. They all took seats around the table, Lily enjoying the low rumble of Christmas cheer and conversation that occupied the place, as well as the many sweet and warm smells. James sat next to her, Sam two seats down, with Bobby and Will on each side, Sirius and Jonathan-again each looking rather discouraged-sat across from their ten and twelve-year-old competitors, Remus in between them.

"Are you two going to be able to come home without Samantha?" Ian asked of his sons, tousling Will's hair. He looked affronted.

"Yeah," Will emphasized, "But she could still come with us and be our older sister."

Lily looked at Sam, who was smiling humbly.

"Thank you, Will," she offered a hi-five to him, which he returned, "but I have four younger siblings who might miss me."

"I'll miss you," Will grumbled, but took a drink of his soda and accepted Sam's word as law.

"You're absolutely wonderful with children, Samantha," Lauren complimented, and Sam smiled.

"Thank you. You have beautiful sons."

Lauren and Ian beamed-Lauren in an outright and stunning fashion, Ian in a burly and red fatherly way-both were endearing.

"Pete," Jonathan addressed Peter suddenly from across the table, "are you sure I haven't seen you somewhere else? I dunno...I just feel as though I saw you really recently."

"No," Peter replied, "I don't think so."

Jonathan continued to look as though he was working something out in his head, then: "At the hospital, last night! I saw you."

"No," Peter repeated, reddening slightly-at the attention, Lily surmised- "I don't think so."

"Oh," Jonathan looked quite sure that he was correct, but shrugged after a few more seconds and turned his attention to the basket of bread on the table.

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"Alright Bobby, Will, get your hats on," Lauren said, standing up. Everyone was in various stages of readying themselves to leave after a very pleasant lunch at Murphy's.

"Aw," both boys chimed in response, but a look from their father silenced their protest and they reached for their hats.

"So what do you lot have any other outstanding plans?" Kyle asked of the Marauders and their companions.

"Well," Sam started, looking around at her friends. She caught Sirius' eye and he winked. The dinner that they had prepared was still a relative surprise to the rest of the group, "We have a couple of other things." Sirius smiled. Lily, James, Remus, and Peter looked baffled.

"How about you?" Sirius said before anyone could comment.

"Ellie, Colm and I are going to see our parents," Kyle said, helping Ellie into her coat.

"That's lovely," Lily commented. Fiona, Peter, Jacob and Danielle had left ten minutes earlier for an engagement with their own families. Robbie, Lauren, Ian, Bobby and Will were all standing as well.

"Well, go say good-bye," Ian instructed his sons, who were both looking at their seats slightly wistfully.

"Bye," Bobby said, throwing his arms around Sam, who hugged him back.

"Bye," she said, "Are you going to play Quidditch with me again, sometime?"

"Yeah," Bobby replied, smiling. Sam smiled, too. The boys were adorable and incredibly well-mannered, sweet and funny. She liked them very much and had enjoyed spending time with them.

"Do I get a hug from you?" Sam asked of the younger boy. He nodded, but kept looking down at the floor.

"Caigeaksfru?" he said quickly and quietly.

"Sorry?" Sam clarified, looking amused.

"Can I have a hug and kiss?" Will asked, turning red but looking up at her. The request brought about a canned round of "aww"s. She laughed and nodded, hugging him and kissing him on the cheek.

"Merry Christmas," she said.

"We're going to have to get you to mind them when we go out," Lauren said, "But then you have your own going out to do," she amended.

"I would love to," Sam assured her.

"Bye, Uncle Johnny," both boys chorused, hi-fiving Jonathan in turn.

"Bye guys," Jonathan said, grinning, "you be good and I'll see you next Friday."

"It was lovely meeting you," Lauren, Ian, and Robbie shook everyone's hands and the family left the pub.

"Right, we'll see you lot around, I'm sure," Colm said, shaking their hands, "Take care."

"Be good," Kyle added. Ellie waved and smiled before taking the arm that Kyle offered her. The trio exited the establishment, but waited outside the window.

"Yeah, I ought to be going with them," Jonathan said, mainly to Sam, sounding reluctant as he went to stand.

"Thanks again, for the earrings and the jewelry box," she said, feeling as though the words were incredibly insignificant when compared to the gift. Jonathan grinned.

"Don't mention it," he said, "When you're ready for that dinner, you let me know."

"I will," Sam said as Sirius choked violently on his ginger beer. "Can I talk to you?" she added, standing with him.

"Of course," he said, motioning for her to go in front of him. She walked to the doorway and turned to face him.

"I really can't say thank you enough for the earrings-they're beautiful."

He just smiled.

"And the jewelry box...it was all quite unnecessary."

"Aren't all gifts?" he queried.

"Well, I suppose," she concurred exasperatedly, "but still...I don't know if I'm...well...thanks," she finished lamely, feeling defeated between the lovely gifts, her incomplete sentences, and Jonathan's eyes, holding her gaze unrelentingly. "Right. Well, I wanted to tell you that I'm going away for a little bit. Sort of a while, actually, a couple of months, so I'm not going to be round."

"Oh," his smile dropped for a second, "well, have a safe trip."

"Thank you," she nodded.

"Are you going somewhere fun?"

"Hopefully," she chose the positive answer.

"And when you get back, maybe that dinner?"

"Maybe," she nodded and smiled. He was grinning at this point, so many questions and suggestions in his smile. "What?" she asked finally.

"If I were to ask for a hug and a kiss, would I get one?"

"Well, you aren't nearly as cute as Will," she replied curtly, fighting to keep the blush from her face.

"Fair enough," he shrugged. He hugged her suddenly, enveloping her sweater-clad self with an incredible warmth and a surge of some pleasantly delicious smell. She hugged him back, allowing herself to briefly enjoy the fact that she was hugging her Quidditch idol-who had just suggested he wanted to kiss her.

"Merry Christmas," he said in her ear.

"Merry Christmas," she murmured in return, most of her words caught within the fabric of his coat. He pulled back, grinned, and walked out. She saw him hail Kyle, Ellie, and Colm, and the four of them started off down the street.

She was smiling when she turned back to the table. Everyone was pulling on coats and scarves and hats. She walked back and took her own cold-weather belongings that Sirius handed to her.

"Now," Lily said, flipping her hair out from beneath her coat collar, "What exactly are these other plans?"

Sam looked to Sirius, who held her gaze in a quizzical way before finally smiling slightly. He nodded.

"You're just going to have to come with us," Sam announced grandly.

"Us?" Lupin asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Miss _Tchaikovsky,"_ Sirius offered her his arm, which she took in an equally large and showy manner.

"Yes. Us," Sam repeated.

"Fine," Lily sighed, taking James hand.

"Moony, you might want to pick up your girlfriend on the way," Sirius told Lupin.

"She'snotmygirlfirend," Lupin mumbled, turning a funny shade of purple.

"Oh please, Remus," Lily said with a large smile, which Lupin returned, if not a bit reservedly, "You two are lovely together."

"Thanks, Lily," Lupin sighed.

"Are you two going to tell us where we're going?" Lily asked as they exited.

"No," Sam and Sirius said at the same time.

"They're so lovely together," James muttered.

"Shut up, James," Sam said kindly. Then: "You'll want to change clothes. This is a formal affair."

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"Lily Evans, do not peek," Sam reprimanded Lily as she led her forward. Lily was holding one of Sam's hands, James had the other. Lily presumed that Sirius was leading Remus and Carlee, who had Peter in tow.

Lily sighed dramatically, but did not open her eyes. She wasn't quite sure where they were, only that they had Apparated, entered an enclosed area, managed to climb three flights of stairs and had just entered a door.

"Alright?" Sam asked Sirius, who apparently responded in the affirmative.

"You may open your eyes," Sam announced grandly, and Lily did so. They were in what she supposed was Sirius' flat. It was spacious and furnished in a way that might lead her to such an assumption. However, any further decoration was most assuredly Sam-inspired. They were surrounded by a simple but wonderful winter wonderland.

Everything had been charmed so that it was frosty. An enormous Christmas tree had been erected in the far corner, frost covered as well, and decorated with paper snowflakes. The same snowflakes had been strung as garland and levitated freely throughout the flat. Silver and gold balloons floated gently around the room, emanating soft light. There was a distinct odor of apples and cinnamon throughout.

"Merry Christmas!" Sirius announced, "We made dinner."

Lily turned her attention to the dining table that had been set in the middle of the room, with an eclectic collection of chairs and couches dragged round to make room for their party.

"Well obviously not right now because we just ate and such, but we did make dinner for later. After we've enjoyed an evening of games and festive competition," Sam offered.

"A cavalcade of fun," Sirius added.

"Yes, quite," Sam concurred.

"A cavalcade?" Remus repeated.

"Of fun," Carlee said, smiling.

"We will be partaking in the playing of Pictionary," Sirius announced, "And if I had even the slightest idea what that entailed, I could sound much more excited about it."

"Pictionary?" Lily laughed, imagining the four magical members of their party playing the Muggle game.

"Yes. Fabulous, is it not?" Sam grinned from ear to ear, "So if you'd all discard your jackets and such, please follow me to the gaming table," she strode across the room and plopped down on the couch. The Pictionary box was set in the middle of the coffee table, and Sam immediately set to organizing the board.

"What is Pictionary?" James asked Lily, looking concerned.

"You'll see. It's quite fun."

Carlee and Remus sat across from Sam, who was joined by Sirius, Lily, and James.

"I do suppose it's a good thing that Peter couldn't make it," Lily observed, slightly sadly, looking at the perfectly portioned teams that had formed.

"I suppose," Sam seconded, in the same tone. "We did plan for him."

"I guess he was tired," James attempted to explain Peter's ever-more-frequent absences.

"Why are these pencils so small?" Sirius demanded, picking up one of the shrunken pencils.

"Shh," Sam placated, taking it from his hand and setting it on the table, "Lily, would you like to explain the rules?"

"Sure," Lily said, happily, looking to James, who was observing her with a mixture of bemused fancy and something else, something constant, something she had now come to recognize as love-and she knew that she had a chance for real happiness in this life.

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"Are you going back, Sam?" Lily asked as James took ahold of her arm, pulling her towards the door. Sam looked around at Sirius' flat, which was definitely beginning to show the signs of a party having taken place there. Crumpled sheets of paper with various scribbled deformities were tossed haphazardly about; the Pictionary pencils were now discarded around the room, where James had dodged Sirius' projectiles, after being accused by the latter that he had cheated on the word: ZIPPER.

Dishes from dinner were stacked in the sink, napkins had found their way to the trash can or the floor. Glasses were lined along the counter space. Following dinner, they had retired to the couches with dessert. And they had not left the space since.

Sirius was looking carefully down at his empty plate, scraping his fork across the porcelain. Carlee was asleep on the couch and Remus was staring at her head on his shoulder with amazement and a tenderness that Sam hadn't seen for a while.

"No, I think I'll stay here and help clean up," she decided, and she saw Sirius smile faintly at his plate with the first word.

"Yeah?" Lily replied, smiling slight, "Alright then." She released James' arm and crossed the room to hug her. "Thank you for my present, love," she said.

"Sure thing," Sam hugged her back, "Happy Christmas. Happy Christmas, James," she added.

"Happy Christmas, Sam," James returned with a wink and a smile, "Oi, Moony," he added gently, turning to Remus, "let's go."

Looking quite disappointed, Lupin shook Carlee awake. She groggily acquiesced to the hand that Lupin offered her, and her head fell onto his shoulder again as he picked up their coats.

"Remus?" Carlee sighed.

"Yeah?"

"Will you mind terribly if you have to carry me?"

"Not at all," Remus said, bending easily and catching up her legs with his left arm, taking her back in his right.

"Thanks, love," she murmured.

"Yeah," Lupin replied, "Hey, Prongs, you wanna get the door?"

"Sure," James clapped Remus on the back as he passed through the door that James propped open.

"Happy Christmas, Remus," Sam waved, and Lupin looked back, smiled, and nodded.

"Take care of yourself," James said, shaking Sirius' hand and pulling him into a half-hug, which Sirius returned.

"Bye, Sirius," Lily said, slipping into the coat that James was holding up behind her. She flipped her red hair out from under the collar and it fanned across her shoulders.

"Good night, you guys."

"Sam offered one more 'happy Christmas' and she and Sirius were left alone.

"Well, this shouldn't take too long," Sam said, turning and brandishing her wand. Sirius stepped even with her.

"Then why'd you stay?"

"It would have been terribly unfair to you," Sam smiled, coaxing all of the trash into a pile with her wand, "Enjoying the party and leaving the clean up to one man."

"Hmm," Sirius said, raising his eyebrows as he unfurled a trash bag.

"What?" she asked, laughing lightly at his expression.

"You want to play a game?"

"What?" she repeated.

"C'mon. You're quite the champion chaser. A little bit of trash ball should be no problem for you," Sirius grinned at her.

"Fine," Sam put her wand in her back pocket and went to stand by her trash pile. "Well, hold it out then," she commanded , crumpling the wrapping paper she chose into a tight wad. Sirius spread the mouth of the bag wide. Sam arched the paper across the room-and Sirius promptly moved the bag. "I am not playing if you're not going to be a good sport."

Sirius just laughed, waved his wand, and levitated the rest of the trash into the bag.

"I won," he said, impishly.

"Right," Sam turned her attention to the dishes, stacking them up nearly, if not precariously, and stepping lightly over to the kitchenette.

"You want a little something?" Sirius asked, and Sam turned her head in his direction as she placed the dishes into the sink. He was holding a bottle of Firewhiskey in one hand, and a bottle of Jack Daniels in the other. "The Muggle stuff is really fantastic."

Sam went to stand next to him. "Where did you get that?"

"The Firewhiskey was a present form James. And the Jack Daniels was a gift from some girl upstairs. Housewarming or something. Something was being warmed."

"Was she cute?"

Sirius shrugged. Sam felt herself start to smile.

"I didn't see her again," he offered.

"So that's a no?"

"That's a no."

"I'll try some of the Jack Daniels," Sam said, returning to the sink and setting to the washing. Sirius was by her side in a moment, placing a rather full glass at her elbow. Sam picked it up, and spun the amber liquid in the glass.

"Cheers, then," Sirius prompted, "To a happy Christmas."

"I think it's a bit late for that."

"Not at all," Sirius said, clinking her class. They tossed them back together.

"Right then," Sam shook her head slightly and set the glass down, "I'll wash. You dry."

"Alright," Sirius agreed, and whipping a drying rag off of the oven. Sam handed him a wet plate.

"Why don't you have a dishwasher?" Sam asked, noting the absence of a rather common kitchen appliance.

"I don't need one," said Sirius, "I have you."

"Oh, I see how it is," she raised her eyebrows and he laughed. She smiled in return, unable to help it. "But when you don't have some willing female in your kitchen…you wash your own dishes?"

"No. Actually, I don't need one because I usually eat out."

"How in the world can you afford that?"

"Please, Sam. With _this_ face and _this_ body, well, it sells itself. And pays for dinner."

"So for a second job, you've become a male entertainer. All to pay for your food?"

"Very funny."

"It is," Sam handed him two plates and a glass. Sirius dried them and put them away. She set to the next one, scrubbing and rinsing. Sirius began spinning his soggy rag around in circles in the interim. As she handed him a plate, he used the rag to smack her in the butt.

"What are you doing?" she yelled, spinning around and nearly dropping the plate. Sirius grabbed it before it could hit the floor. He was laughing heartily as he dried the plate and put it away.

"C'mon," he said, taking her hand and pulling her away from the sink, "I don't want you to wash dishes on Christmas."

"_You_ don't want to _dry_ dishes on Christmas."

"True. Now sit down," he pushed her gently onto the couch. She sat down willingly, "Can I offer you something else to drink?"

"Are you trying to inebriate me, darling?"

"'Course not. Now. Anything?"

"I'll have a hot cocoa please? With whipped cream on top?"

"As you wish," Sirius replied easily, waving his wand and conjuring a steaming mug of hot cocoa that he handed her.

"Thank you," she said, taking it. Sirius conjured a second cup and sat down next to her. She watched him expectantly, wondering exactly what course this meeting would take.

"We shall put on some music," Sirius waved his wand, and a record player that she had not seen before lowered its cartridge and began playing, "Have a drink, and just sit and enjoy the evening."

"It's lovely."

"Thank you," Sirius said, sounding slightly surprised.

"So did you have a delightful day?"

"One of the best," he replied.

"Really?" Sam craned her neck to look at him. She watched him take a drink of the hot chocolate. She decided to do the same. "This is really quite good," she added. "Got a bit of a kick to it, doesn't it?"

"Yeah, thank you. And yes. It was one of the best Christmases I've had."

"Really?" she repeated.

"Why is this so hard for you to believe?" Sirius chuckled.

"I don't know," she shrugged, "It's just…I don't know. Sometimes you seem to take everything on its worst qualities."

"Today had no bad qualities," Sirius parried once more, still seeming in an uncommonly good humor. She let that sink in for a moment.

"I agree."

"Well then," he put his arm around her shoulders and she took another drink. They sat in the quiet for a while, the lights pleasant and warm, as was the music, and Sam had to admit it, was the company.

Sirius cleared his throat.

"Can I ask you something?"

"Go ahead," Sam said.

"You knew, in your dream. You saw that it was Regalus in your dream and you never said his name. All of those times you were talking about the Death Eaters and you didn't say his name."

"I don't think it did any harm," Sam said, shifting slightly. "I reckon Dumbledore still knows—"

"Yeah, but why? Why didn't you say his name?" he pressed, setting his mug on the table and turning his eyes towards her. She wasn't sure what to say.

"I…I suppose. Well," she considered his words and the position she was in, "I didn't want to…bring up…your name up as a Death Eater. You're a good man, Sirius, and it would have been unfair to you, to betray your name and your brother."

"My brother is a traitor already—"

"And I know that everyone in the Order trusts you and does not believe you to be a Death Eater, but…but I didn't like saying your name. I didn't want to involve you with those people," she continued as though he hadn't spoken.

"It's not my name," said Sirius, "Regulus isn't my name."

"But Black is," she defended, "and I didn't want to say it. I'm sorry."

"Nothing to apologize for," Sirius said quietly, "It's a black name."

She looked up and saw the ghost of a smile start to form on his face. Her eyes traced his face and its features, the shadow on his jaw, his fine lips, his strong nose and high cheeks and constantly stormy eyes. He was joking. Of course he was, Sirius wouldn't be so…serious.

She smiled then, and started laughing quietly. His deep laugh joined in.

"Thank you," said Sirius, looking at her with such intensity that her eyes hurt just to meet his.

"You're welcome," she responded, looking back to the chocolate. "Any other questions, then?"

"Nope, that near about does it," he said, taking his chocolate back and drinking it.

"You're milking that quite heavily, love," she commented, watching him take another determined drink.

"Yeah," Sirius said vaguely.

"Taking the edge off?"

"Bloody hell, Sam, there's no edge on Christmas," Sirius smiled and spun his mug, "How'd you know I put something in it?"

"Lucky guess."

"Good guess."

"Well then… helping with the nerves?"

"Maybe," Sirius said, his smile wavering.

"What in the world would you have to be nervous about on Christmas, either? It's just you and me."

Something in his face changed. His body moved imperceptibly beside her own. He took another drink.

"Exactly."

She hadn't been expecting such an outright admittance of this unfounded fear he appeared to harbor: being alone with her.

"Well, I don't get nervous being around you. I enjoy spending time…alone with you…I actually love being with you." She ended decisively. Sirius' eyebrows were lost in his shaggy hair. He leaned over and put his mug back on the table.

"Is that so?"

"It is so," she said, alarmed by the defensive quality in her voice, and she hurriedly sought to change it, "Talking to you is always…You always have something funny or witty to say...and just sitting here with you I feel…good."

"Well, if that just isn't an anomaly."

"It is, though!" she said before she could stop herself and Sirius' eyes grew wide. "What I mean is—"

"I think you said what you mean," Sirius said, still looking at her.

"Yes, I think I did," she said quietly. "But I feel good with you. I feel safe and comfortable. I just can't understand why you would be nervous," she added with the hope of returning the topic of conversation to him.

"No, I don't reckon you could."

"Well what is it then? I could understand if you would tell me," she offered, waiting for his response. But the look with which he was fixing her was so intense that she absolutely had to keep speaking. She was afraid to hear the words that accompanied such a look, "What is it? Talking to me? The proximity? Because you're the one who's always all hands on and touchy," she added.

"Oh right," he rolled his eyes.

"I'm just saying—"

"I get nervous because I never know if I'm going to be able to keep myself from…since the first time I've always wanted to…I just knew it wasn't right if you…things have changed since the first time."

"The first time that what?" she demanded to know, half of her mind already formulating what she believed to be a very likely idea as to his topic.

"I always worry that if I get too close to you for too long that I'm not going to be able to keep myself from kissing you," he spat out, looking quite ill after he had spoken. He swallowed, took a large breath and opened his mouth again, "And that wouldn't be fair to you."

Their eyes were locked for one, two, three, four, five, six…Sirius smiled, laughed and stood up, looking away to the window. He stepped a bit behind the couch and she was left to stare up at him. Finally he turned around, his back nearly touching the wall.

"Sirius…"

There was nothing else to be said. Just his name would suffice in the situation. His name, a plea, to hear her, to know how much she...

"I'm sorry. I know you didn't want to hear that."

"No, Sirius," she was standing up, too, now, taking a single step towards him, "That's just not what I _expected_ to hear." It wasn't exactly a lie. His response was indeed what she had guessed it would be, but still her mind hadn't expected to hear it—it was much too far-fetched.

"I'm sorry," he said again, looking at the floor.

"Don't be," she said, "I'm sorry I made you tell me."

"Hah. It was good to say. I had always wondered if there could be any more tension between us—guess so," he smiled.

Something—it certainly wasn't her reason—made her reach forward and take hold of his hand.

"Thanks for telling me," she said.

"Thanks for telling me about…well," he coughed, "I'm glad you feel happy when you're around me."

"You're one of my best friends, Sirius," she said honestly. He squeezed her hand and she smiled. His own mouth turned up as well. She leaned in and kissed him lightly on the cheek.

"That doesn't help," Sirius said, smiling.

"Right, sorry—"

Sirius leaned forward and stopped, his eyes and mouth a breath away from her own, his nose brushed against hers.

"What—what are you doing?" she whispered, feeling very light-headed as she took a large inhale. Sirius smiled.

"Seeing how long I can go," he said quietly.

"Like a training exercise?" she asked, her words mumbled.

"Yeah, something like that," he nodded.

"I don't know if you could actually practice this on a regular basis," she commented, her eyelids fluttering. Sirius started laughing, a low, hearty chuckle. It was exceptionally sexy. Her eyes were almost completely closed, her other senses filling in for the darkness. He remained a moment longer, then stepped back, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Right. Thanks," said Sirius.

"Yeah, sure thing," she said, missing his proximity so quickly that she surprised—and despised—herself.

"You'll probably want to be going—" Sirius said, although she hadn't the foggiest clue what would have made him think she wanted to be going away.

"Yeah," she said, though she wasn't sure what she was agreeing to at the moment.

"Yeah," he repeated. She absolutely, positively couldn't stand being away from him any longer. She missed the way it felt being so…bloody…close…

She closed the distance with surprising speed and kissed him soundly on the mouth.

Admittedly, she stood for a long while, considering the consequences that this would incur—but all while enjoying the now-familiar sensation of Sirius' lips on her own. What was she going to tell Dmitri? She wouldn't tell him—would she? Did this change anything between she and Sirius? They had kissed before and had managed to maintain the same type of strained relationship-given a few ups and downs. This would be the same. A kiss—

Sirius' mouth opened and his tongue traced the outline of her lips and she knew he was tasting the whipped cream that he had put on the hot chocolate, transferred to her lips. Her hand released his and traveled back up his arms, feeling the muscles that were strained under his sweater sleeves. His hands found their way to her hips and grasped below her waist. He pulled her closer, holding her to him.

Her hands began to travel across his chest. Her fingers undid the buttons down the front so quickly that she surprised herself. By the time she became aware of what she was doing, his shirt was quite suddenly discarded and it was impossible to tell if she was solely responsible. His mouth moved to her neck and kissed down the length very lightly and she sighed at the sensation. He returned to her mouth and kissed her harder. She kissed him back as hard as she could manage.

She felt something at her waist—his fingers were tugging on the tie to her wrap dress. The knot slackened and fell apart completely. She opened her mouth slightly. Taking his lower lip between her teeth, she bit down ever-so-gently. Sirius grabbed her waist and they exchanged positions. He pushed her against the wall. Her hands roamed across his chest and down his torso, his skin hot under her touch. He pressed his body closer still and her hands fell away. His hands brushed her dress of her shoulders and it fell to the floor.

She froze, understanding, perhaps for the first time, precisely what was happening. Sirius paused as well, pulling back. His eyes appraised her now barely-clad figure.

"Pink," he said, his breath ragged, and she looked down at her bra, "that's cute." He wound his hands in her hair and pulled her mouth back to his, "Wait," he said, pulling back again. She couldn't keep the surge of disappointment at bay.

"_What_?" she started, but he cut her off.

"Jesus, Sam!" Sirius exclaimed, his eyes quickly shifting from satisfaction to what she quickly recognized as rage.

"What?" she demanded, stepping back and looking down. Everything had escalated so very quickly that she had forgotten to be self-conscious about standing in front of Sirius in her set of pink lingerie. She was generally proud of her body: above average height, curves in the "right" places, muscles still toned from Quidditch, training, and other miscellaneous exercise. She honestly didn't see what could cause such a reaction.

Without her dress on…Shit. She had forgotten about the bruises. There had only been a few—maybe six at the most—on her arms and her torso from her arguments with Dmitri that had ended in his hitting her or grabbing her with force. None of them were very recent, they were all in some stage of healing, and they had been so exceptionally easy to hide with the winter months and extra clothing. She hadn't been counting on undressing in front of anyone at all. But now the bruises were clearly visible, the blue, black, green and yellow on her pale winter skin stood out in a horrible way.

"Is this-?" Sirius broke off, looking absolutely too livid to form a proper sentence, "Is this from _him?" _he spat. The only comforting emotion in his eyes was the tremendous concern that she could see behind the anger.

"It doesn't hurt," she said, attempting to smile.

"Sam," he said, truly at a loss of words, "How can you_ say_ that?"

"Sirius," she started, not entirely sure where she could be going with this strain of conversation, "_It doesn't hurt."_ She decided to repeat herself.

"Yeah, but did it? When it happened?"

It was a question she wasn't ready for.

"It doesn't matter," she decided quietly.

"_Yes it does_." He emphasized every word.

"Sirius please," she begged, wanting nothing more than to abandon this conversation and return to…well…no conversation at all. Sirius surveyed her, gazing into each of her eyes in turn. "_Sirius."_

"What?" he murmured, and she was quite suddenly aware that they had been having this conversation at much too far a distance. He was standing apart from her.

"Kiss me please," she pleaded, and he did so immediately, leaving her to wonder how easy it would have been to steal kisses all this time.

Her brain and body were acquiescing and she couldn't have cared less. She was safe, she was comfortable—exceptionally so—and there was a very pleasant warmth somewhere deep inside of her that she had never known before.

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She was first aware of the incredible warmth that was enveloping her in sleep. It was everywhere around her and inside of her at once. Her eyes were closed, but as she began to wake, she could feel the soft press of grey light on her. Without opening her eyes, she rolled over to her other side, reveling in how very soft the warmth was on her arms, legs, torso, cheek. It was darker over here, but warmer. It smelled very sweetly, but also slightly smoky and organic. Focusing on sound, she could hear the faint sounds of cars up and down the street. There was something heavy across her torso-soft and warm.

Finally missing her sense of sight, she allowed her eyelids to open.

Her nose was less than a few inches from Sirius' chin. He was the source of darkness and heat on this side of the-

Everything came back in an deluging, dreamlike rush. She was in a foreign location: Sirius' flat, in his bedroom, in his bed.

Sirius was without a shirt, the blankets off of him, piled almost entirely on her. He was on his side, facing her, his arm across her stomach. His eyes were closed, still deep within the clutches of sleep, his face was relaxed, his breathing soft. Sam's eyes swept back and forth across the planes of his face, marveling at how his cheeks were sunken and defined but recovered, in sleep, the childlike absence of lines and wrinkles, so characteristic of recent stress and concern.

She was so comfortable, so perfectly, so immaculately blissful-and she couldn't stay.

With exceptional deftness, she moved out from under Sirius' arm and out of the bed. As her feet hit the floor, she looked up and caught sight of herself in the mirror that stood on the opposite side of the room. Her reflection stared at her critically. She stared back. In the cool morning light, the bruises which had brought about so much contention in the midst of such passion stood out in an obvious way. But they truly didn't hurt any longer. Sirius had mended her; his touch, his lips, had been so soft and tender...

She shook her head, ripping her eyes away from mirror and dissipating the memories. They were taboo. Hell, this entire situation never should have happened. She was acting irrationally, carelessly, loosely in all senses of the word. But it was inevitable, wasn't it? The tension between Sirius and herself...

She dressed with incredible speed and silence, and tiptoed towards the door. She stood a moment in the doorway, then, to her own great disdain, turned her gaze to Sirius. He truly was the most beautiful person she had ever seen in her entire life, in every possible sense. Awareness of his humor, his intelligence, his bravery and the way that he was completely selfless and selfish at the same time, came flooding back to her as she drank in the sight of his muscular, masculine body, so absolutely flawless and gorgeous and striking, and suddenly, what had happened didn't seem so completely horrible...

But it was. It was so far beyond horrible. She had lied to the one person who had always and forever put her needs and desires before his own, even if it had not always appeared that way. She had kept secrets from him, allowed him to believe things that were not true. She was an atrocity, and she knew it.

With much more control than she felt she was capable of, she closed the door to the bedroom, turned, and walked down the stairs. She collected her shoes near the couch and crossed to the kitchenette where her bag was stationed by the counter, precisely where she had placed it upon entering the flat yesterday evening. She picked it up and slung it over her shoulder.

Her attention was drawn by a small, wrapped box on the counter, directly above her bag. It was wrapped with beautiful precision in silver paper with a small, red bow. Ignoring gift protocol, she picked it up and examined the tag. It had her name written on it. She looked at the counter again and saw that an envelope had been placed beneath the box.

This, too, had her name on it, and she opened the envelope and removed a folded sheet of parchment. She unfolded the paper and found Sirius' scrawled, all-caps penmanship. She took a breath.

_Samantha-_

_This was a second present that I found for you a while ago. I'm still not sure if I'll give it to you with the rest of the gifts_, _but either way, I couldn't bring myself to explain all this to you out loud. _

_I love you; I think you know that, but I'm not sure if you always remember it, so I got this for you. I know what it looks like, but it doesn't have any other significance than the one you give it. _

_I'm there when you need me. _

_Sirius _

Something sharp caught in her throat as she tried to take a breath. She finally succeeded and folded the note back up, placing in her breast pocket before reaching back into the box. She removed a long golden chain with a very small, brassy heart charm on the end, consisting of two heart casts. The seams around the edge looked as though they had been stitched together with thick, brass thread. A complex Celtic knot was engraved on both sides. It was absolutely charming and beautiful, and she clasped it around her neck without a second thought.

She picked up her bag, crossed the room, and put on her coat. She took a deep breath and walked out the door.

She turned down the hallway, opened the door to the stairwell. She was halfway down the second flight when she Disapparated.


End file.
